Beneficiaries beware of scammers using the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as yet another way to get your personal information. The Federal Trade Commission recently put out a warning that phone scammers around the country are calling claiming to be from the government, saying they’re under the ACA and need to verify some information. They may ask for your bank account number, Medicare number, credit card number and/or Social Security number.
Again, we advise all beneficiaries to NOT give out any personal information to someone they don’t know over the phone, through unsolicited emails and/or in-person home visits. Scammers want this information to commit identity theft, charge your debit and/or credit cards, take out loans, or open new credit card accounts under your name. Also, the government will NOT call you asking for your personal info.
Therefore, if someone unsolicited does approach you for this info, hang up the phone, and contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project. You can report any suspected health care fraud by calling the SMP helpline at 855-613-7080.
See our website for more information on Medicare Fraud and SMP.
See the Federal Trade Commission’s online educational videos for info on other types of scams such as identity theft and mortgage/foreclosure scams. You can report these other types of scams to the FTC at ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
