The Southborough Senior Center asked me to advise readers about another mailer being sent to seniors in town. This one comes in the form of a survey.
The “confidential” survey ironically asks seniors to pay a “Trust” when they send it in.
Director Pam Lefrancois writes:
Recently a senior brought in a mailing that they received numerous times in the past few month regarding a “Senior Survey” or “Social Security Expansion Survey”. The material has an official look to it and asks you to answer a number of questions and to return the survey to “The Seniors Trust” and requests a payment.
Please be aware that this material is not from the Southborough Senior Center and is not a government agency.
I found news stories on similar mailers over the past year from the same organization. The surveys come with a warning about urgent action needed before congress cuts benefits and requests money. Some news stories I found included that they reached out to the organization but got no response.
Between the lines from reports I’ve read, I believe that the organization may be operating legally – but many are concerned its marketing practices are deceptive and unethical.
The Seniors Trust has a legitimate looking website and social media. It claims to be a nonprofit based out of Washington, DC. But it gives up no contact information – just an online contact form.
Some digging turned up that while it’s doing business as The Seniors Trust, it is under the nonprofit The Citizen’s Assembly, Inc.
A quick search on that organization pulls up more stories calling out other suspicious-potential scam mailings on similar topics. But it is a legal entity. You can find a 990 form here.
