A news story that is not getting a lot of coverage is targeting seniors. The Wall Street Journal says Marketers are using trickery in the form of Lead Cards to bypass the do not call lists.
? The Issue: Older Americans who send back reply cards for free information about estate planning and other topics are being exposed to hard pitches from the insurance industry.
? The Background: The creation of the National Do Not Call Registry in 2003 gave force to a marketing technique: the lead card. By sending off replies requesting information, recipients waive their do-not-call rights.
? The Bottom Line: Many older people say they are then being pressured into buying annuities or living trusts. State regulations nationwide are taking legal action against lead-card companies.
It looks like the key to this is the fine print. Without resorting to chain letters and the like, you might want to pass the word on to retired friends and family to throw out any of the lead cards they might receive in the mail.
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“These are the new leads. These are the Glengarry leads. And to you they’re gold, and you don’t get them. Why? Because to give them to you would be throwing them away. They’re for closers.”
You see this watch?
I hate companies who take unfair advantage of our older citizens, who can’t see as well and who are often not as streetwise as many of the younger folks. These older ones can’t read the fine print and are more gullible and trusting, having grown up at a time when honesty was the best policy, a man’s handshake was good enough for a contract, and people never locked their doors. These folks are targets for the slimy marketers like the ones you mentioned. I’ll keep warning them, but they are almost like children they are so innocent.