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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

BBB Tip of the Week: Postcards from senior supplemental referral service mislead

By Tyler Russell BBB Northwest and Pacific

Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers nationwide of misleading mailings from the insurance referral company, Senior Supplemental Referral Service, in Boise.

BBB Northwest and Pacific wants to make sure you are protected. The company’s misleading advertising campaign led to its BBB Accreditation resignation.

BBB has received several BBB Scam Tracker reports, reviews and complaints from across the country regarding the company’s direct mail advertising campaign. Senior Supplemental Referral Service, also known as Need-A-Lead and Direct Processing Center, sends postcards to consumers offering more information about “state-approved plans.” Consumers have stated the postcards look like urgent official government notices regarding their insurance and the advertising failed to disclose information collected from recipients would be sold to third-party insurance sales agents.

Iowa attorney general took action in August 2017 after the company sent misleading mailings to 26,000 residents in late 2016. Senior Supplemental Referral Service and the the attorney general’s office entered into an assurance of voluntary compliance agreement.

This agreement prevents the company from sending mailings in Iowa that:

Give the impression they come from a government agency.

Create a false sense of urgency.

Make misleading references to “free services.”

Obscure the true purpose of the mailing and the request for personal information.

After undergoing a BBB Ad Review, the company responded to BBB stating it did not want to modify its advertising. It said its direct mail pieces comply with the applicable state and federal regulations. After this statement, the company chose to resign its BBB Accreditation in March and now has an F rating.

BBB offers the following tips for consumers receiving mailings on life or health insurance or related benefits:

Research the business before sending any information or paying money. Check the company’s BBB Profile at bbb.org.

Be wary of mailers offering free publications, information or gifts. These often are inducements to get you to provide personal contact information.

Never respond to mailings and never provide personal information to anyone unless you know specifically who is requesting it and why.

By responding to a mailing, you may be giving a telemarketer approval to contact you.

If you have fallen victim to the misleading mailings, help BBB warn others by filing a complaint at bbb.org/complaints.