🎉 🤡Surprise! This $11 million inheritance scam comes by snail mail

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Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land

Real stories. Real Rescues. Real advice.

❤️ Hey there, friends! Happy Sunday evening! ✨

Today’s main story has a bit of a personal twist — a scammer pretending to write to me from a law firm in Canada had great news: 💌 Apparently, my husband was eligible to inherit over $11 million. That letter came the old-school way: snail mail! 📬

While my husband wasn’t at risk of falling for this (mostly because I open all our mail 😉), the Department of Justice says hundreds of victims have been fooled by similar scams. I’ll tell you all about it and share how to protect yourself and your loved ones in today’s featured article. 🛡️

Also on the agenda: What happens when customers make too many retail returns? 🛍️ Many consumers aren’t aware of the real danger of being flagged and prevented from making future returns. Here’s what you need to know about The Retail Equation. 🔄

Next up: What’s the Tea House scam and how can you avoid it? 🍵

And finally, for those of you helping a parent (or yourself) navigate the Medicare maze — especially right here on the deadline day, December 7th (yikes!) — keep scrolling down. You’ll find Abe Wischnia’s Medicare Q&A in our “Letter to the Editor” section. His advice might be just the thing someone in your life needs to hear today. 💡

P.S. I want to give a huge shout-out to Abe for working double time — both at his regular volunteer role at SHIP and here at Consumer Rescue — to help answer Medicare questions during open enrollment. Thanks, Abe!❤️

Happy reading, and thanks for being part of the Consumer Rescue family! 🙌

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This week, in our insider section, I’m handing the mic to our Medicare expert, Abe Wischnia. With the Medicare enrollment deadline literally upon us (hello, December 7th at 5:30 PM!). He’s answering a reader’s last-minute question about enrolling in a Medicare drug plan and the potential penalties involved.

Question: “My 83-year-old mother never enrolled in Medicare prescription coverage. What are her options, and will she be penalized?”
— Arvydas S., Pennsylvania

Abe answers:

There are four ways to help your mother choose and enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Whichever option you choose, you’ll need a list of her exact medications, dosages, and frequencies handy. Here’s the rundown:

Late Enrollment Penalty:
If your mother never enrolled in Part D before, she may face a lifetime penalty of 1% of the national base premium ($38.99 for 2026) for each month she was eligible but didn’t enroll. For example, after 18 years, that could add about $84.24 per month to her premium.

Abe’s Advice:
Alternatives outside of Part D are limited at her age. She should consider enrolling by the end of today to avoid higher costs and take advantage of Medicare’s out-of-pocket protections. (Spoiler alert: She decided to enroll in Part D and accept the penalty)

Got a Medicare question for Abe? Send it our way, and we might feature it in a future newsletter!

Don't forget! Consumer Rescue is just a click away. One of us is always here to answer your questions. 

Of course, you can always reach me at [email protected]