Tips for Staying Safe from Medicare Fraud

Many fraudsters would deceive old people with Medicare to divulge their Medicare numbers to steal their insurance benefits. They could propose giving out free genetic testing/equipment or anything of that sort or they may choose to promote/advertise their product in some other possible way.

These kinds of fraud schemes regarding health care are very alarming because they involve targeting elderly people who most of the time expose themselves to exploitation thus raising this issue of concern. These schemes every year led to the expenses of many billions of dollars that the federal budget has to pay to repair the damages. These are some preventative actions that families and elders should take.

Guard Your Personal Information

Medicare fraudsters often make extremely realistic-looking solicitations, and they tend to increase during open enrollment, which takes place from October 15 to December 7. However, in the whole year, scams may exist anytime, so users should take precautions.

Possible methods of scammers’ contact are diverse: phone, mail, e-mails, text messages, mail pamphlets, and leaflets. They often want to take personal data, such as your Medicare number, so they may make false claims under pretenses.

The easiest way to avoid becoming a victim of email scams is by not clicking on links, replying to emails sent by people you don’t know, or accepting offers from companies you are not familiar with. Borrowing this strategy will not get you anywhere if some caller’s phone number appears on the Caller ID, as you are likely to be an immediate victim of telephone fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a consumer warning about scammers using a phony CallerID identity to pose as Medicare or another well-known agency. Seniors should be aware that they won’t get unsolicited calls or texts from Medicare asking for money, assistance with enrollment, or other services.

Medicare will not contact a beneficiary unless the beneficiary has previously made contact asking for some assistance. Your chances of giving up personal information increase with the length of time you spend speaking with the con artist over the phone. They are attempting to win your trust to obtain your information so they can either deceive you or use it to deceive the government at your expense.

Be Wary of Incentives or Freebies

According to experts, a Medicare advising business, con artists occasionally offer to deliver seniors durable medical equipment without charging them for it. Examples of this equipment include crutches, knee braces, canes, and splints.

The scam artists then utilize the information to charge Medicare for expensive equipment by persuading the gullible elderly to provide their Social Security or Medicare numbers. Scammers may send the victim some sort of less expensive equipment to make the charade look more authentic, but it’s still fraud.

The offerings might appear genuine. An instance from recent times that AARP brought to light was a con artist posing as a doctor’s referral for a Medicare beneficiary. To rule out cancer that runs in the patient’s family, the caller inquired whether the receiver would be interested in doing a Medicare-covered DNA swab test. The fraudster claimed that all the receiver needed to do to have this test for free gave her a Medicare number.

Additionally, seniors should throw away any emails or direct mail solicitations claiming to be from Medicare. Scammers impersonate Medicare and create phony websites that mirror the official page to get personal data that they may use to defraud the program.

Check Your Benefits Statements

Closely reading your explanation of benefits documents is one technique to spot possible Medicare fraud. Many consumers of the Top 5 Medicare Supplement plans fail to complete this step or scan the statements, which makes it possible for many forms of fraud to go undetected. Being alert for fees for goods or services you don’t understand or don’t seem right is one strategy to fight this.

Report Suspected Fraud

If you think there may be fraud, call the Medicare hotline. Legal experts encourage you to contact the state attorney general and your local US Attorney’s office, to start a potential suit against the violators. Alongside this, you will see the Federal Trade Commission’s website where you may submit an online complaint as well.

Give yourself a break if you do end up in this situation. Scammers are skilled at what they do and manage to con a large number of gullible elders. This should not be associated with any shame.

These pointers wish to boost your self-assurance. Be watchful and know that there are several agencies always there for assistance when looking for the Top 5 Medicare Supplement plans.