Durable medical equipment (DME) fraud continues to be one of the top reported types of fraud in California. Scammers often call offering medical equipment or supplies that people don’t want or need. They may even pretend to be a health care provider. If this happens, just hang up!
Medicare only pays for durable medical equipment based on medical necessity — meaning it’s an item you need for your medical condition – and requires a prescription from your doctor, not a doctor you’ve never met that’s calling you on the phone, or a doctor in a TV, newspaper or social media advertisement.
If you disclose your Medicare number, you can end up with boxes of unwanted and unneeded medical supplies – such as back braces, knee braces, a wheel chair, etc. You can also end up with a compromised Medicare number and potentially denied Medicare claims if you require such DME in the future.
Tips to Prevent DME Fraud
❌ If medical equipment is delivered to you, don’t accept it unless it was ordered by your physician. Refuse the delivery or return it to the sender. Keep a record of
the sender’s name and the date you returned the items.
🧐 Be suspicious of anyone who offers you free medical equipment and then requests your Medicare number. If your personal information is compromised, it
may be used in other fraud schemes.
🧑🏽⚕️ Only your doctor should prescribe and/or approve any requests for durable medical equipment.
👀 Be cautious of unsolicited requests for your Medicare number. Do not give your Medicare information to anyone you don’t know.
🔍 Regularly check your Medicare statements for any suspicious charges.
☎️ If you suspect fraud, contact our California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 1-855-613-7080.
See our fraud alert on DME scams for more information — also available in nine languages on our fraud alerts webpage (scroll down to the fraud alert for a link to the alert in all nine languages).
Federal prosecutors also recently unveiled charges against 11 Eastern Europeans they accused of running a sophisticated, $10.6 billion Medicare fraud scheme in what appears to be one of the largest such busts in government history. This one largely involved DME scams. Read the news article: 11 Eastern Europeans charged in $10.6 billion Medicare fraud scheme.
In addition, see this infographic below from the SMP National Resource Center.
