Dive Brief:
- Hannaford Supermarkets announced Friday the launch of a program aimed at helping older people in Maine recognize and report fraud.
- The Maine Rx Elder Fraud Program, which will be available at Hannaford’s 60 in-store pharmacies across Maine, includes informational brochures attached to prescription bags.
- The Ahold Delhaize-owned grocery chain worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, AARP Maine and the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention to develop the program.
Dive Insight:
Hannaford said the fraud prevention program can reach “thousands” of people in Maine by relying on relationships that pharmacists have built with customers.
“[W]ith approximately nine out of 10 people over age 65 having at least one regular prescription, pharmacists will be a key partner in our efforts to inform this population,” U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee said in a statement.
The brochures, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office created with the help of the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention, will include common signs of scams and information about the National Elder Fraud Hotline.
Hannaford noted that elder fraud is a growing problem. More than 101,000 people in the U.S. ages 60 and older were defrauded out of a combined $3.4 billion in 2023, including 397 people in Maine who filed fraud complaints for losses totaling more than $7.1 million, according to the FBI.
“Increasingly, the scams are more sophisticated and with multiple layers, even multiple scammers playing different roles,” Jane Margesson, communications director for AARP Maine, said in a statement. “As the schemes have become more complex, the potential losses have increased as well. Those losses can be especially devastating for victims nearing or in retirement.”
Older people are often reluctant to report when they’ve been scammed, Andrew McCormack, assistant U.S. attorney and elder justice coordinator for the District of Maine, said in the announcement.
“[A]fter a lifetime of saving and perhaps not being online as often and therefore as current on recent scams, they are a common, and frankly favorite, target for some of the most insidious types of fraud,” said McCormack.
Older people and caretakers make up a “large portion” of Hannaford’s customer base, Sara Lane, manager of pharmacy clinical services at Hannaford, said in the announcement.
“[W]e are uniquely positioned to help reach this audience directly through our pharmacy services as a trusted source for health and safety information,” Lane said.
Hannaford has more than 180 stores throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and New York. Most of its locations include pharmacies.
