Warning issued after men pose as Meals on Wheels drivers

Officials are urging caution following an incident in Bigfork involving two men allegedly posing as drivers for Meals on Wheels.

The Bigfork Community Center issued a warning to seniors and others in the community after the incident was reported to one of the center’s board members. The center serves as a senior center and operates the Meals on Wheels program in and around Bigfork.

Tanya Dowling, the social coordinator for the center, said two men in their 20s arrived at a home around 8 p.m. claiming to be from Meals on Wheels saying they were there to deliver cookies. The woman, who is not enrolled in the Meals on Wheels program, refused the cookies and the men left, according to Dowling.

The incident was also reported to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department.

Dowling also reported the incident to the Flathead County Agency on Aging in Kalispell. She said it was the first time she had heard of people posing as Meals on Wheels drivers.

“So, now we are going to make sure all of our current drivers have current identification when they do deliver. We do background checks on all of our drivers and all of our clients, so if they haven’t requested a Meals on Wheels, they don’t get one,” Dowling said.

The Meals on Wheels program relies on volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors. Dowling said drivers never deliver at night time and their vehicles are clearly marked.

In fact, an important part of Meals on Wheels is the well-being check it provides clients. Dowling said drivers cannot leave food until they have heard from the resident in some form.

“We can’t just leave it, we have to physically make contact with them, or at least hear them through the door saying ‘I’m okay, I’m in the bathroom,’” she said. “We have to physically hear them and even if we don’t see them if we make contact with a caretaker or nurse…as long as we make contact and see that the seniors are OK, but we always prefer to see them.”

Although it’s currently unclear whether or not this is a standalone incident, there are many different scams targeted at seniors every day. Local city and county agencies often warn community members when there is a scam targeting seniors and others. In November, the Kalispell Police Department issued a warning regarding a scam call claiming to be from the police department and threatening the caller with loss of benefits. They said in a Facebook post that they do not use any automated phone systems and do not have anything to do with any type of benefits.

To find out more about scams aimed at seniors, the AOA recommends checking the Senior Medicare Patrol website at https://www.smpresource.org/.

The website posts up-to-date information about scams and Medicare fraud attempts. The website also provides resources for seniors who have been victims of scams.

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at tinman@dailyinterlake.com.