CARMEL, Ind. — A Carmel woman says she’s getting flooded with scam calls offering to help her with her pain.
Linda Barron, 81, contacted WRTV Investigates for help because she’s fed up with the calls.
“They say they’re calling about my pain, but I’m probably the healthiest almost 82-year-old that you will find,” said Barron.
Barron knows to hang up, but she’s worried about her fellow senior citizens.
“If I’m getting it, then others are getting it too,” said Barron.
She filed a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General and WRTV Investigates.
“I looked online, and I found you,” said Barron.
WRTV Investigates contacted Indiana Senior Medicare Patrol, which told us they’re seeing an uptick in calls about pain and callers claiming to be from Medicare.
“Your Medicare number is more valuable than a social security number, because that can be used to order supplies that you may not even receive,” said program director Nancy Moore. “Most, a lot of the fraud now people don't even receive anything. It just shows up on their Medicare statements.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Medicare-related scams resulted in more than $2 million in consumer losses in 2025 with the average person losing $2,000.
“Everybody is a target,” said Moore.
Moore said because of data breaches and AI, scam callers may know a lot about you, including which condition you have.
Many people make a common mistake: answering the phone. That just tells the scammers you have a working phone number and you’re willing to pick up, which means you end up with more calls.
“I always say, be a millennial, don't answer your phone,” said Moore.
Linda Barron admits she has a hard time doing that because she owns a Carmel office building.
“When I've got places for lease, I get strange phone numbers calling so I have to answer in in my instance,” said Barron.
She wants to spread the word and help others protect their personal information.
“I don't have patience with anyone being scammed, but especially seniors,” said Barron.
Do not answer your phone for numbers you don't recognize. When in doubt, hang up and verify directly with Medicare or whatever agency claims to be calling you.
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