Public Employee Press

Warning
Insurance Scam

Beware, insurance peddlers:

DC 37 is on guard to stop you from dishonestly claiming a connection to the union.

One scam artist recently tried to push his bogus bag of goods on the wrong person.

Local 1549 retiree Linda Bassano suspected something was wrong when she got a phone call from a man who claimed to be offering a DC 37-endorsed benefits package.

Compounding her sense that something was amiss, the pushy salesman repeatedly insisted on visiting her home to discuss the package.

"It appeared to be a big scam," said Bassano, who reported the unscrupulous and misleading sales pitch to the office of DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts.

Bassano and her husband made a point of getting the caller to tell them his supposed name and the company he claimed to represent. In addition, they recorded the caller ID information.

"The rule of thumb here is that you should never, ever, conduct this kind of business over the phone," said Audrey A. Browne, acting counsel of the DC 37 Health and Security Plan. "Certainly never let a salesperson in your home without first verifying their background - and even then I would be cautious," said Browne, who reported the incident to the fraud unit of the state Insurance Dept.

"The Bassanos were savvy enough not to invite the caller into their home, but they were very concerned that more trusting retirees may see no harm in inviting a stranger in, especially when repeatedly urged to do so by a caller claiming to represent a DC 37-sponsored benefit package," Browne said in her letter to the insurance unit.

"Besides being concerned about the safety of all our members and retirees, DC 37 is also concerned that this caller is misrepresenting the fact that the benefits being offered by his company are sponsored by DC 37," Browne said.

The union plan takes special care to show members and retirees that union-sponsored benefits are legitimate by publicizing information in the Public Employee Press and on the union Web site, as well as putting written material on plan letterhead. When in doubt about solicitations, contact the union.