FRAUD ALERT

Friday, September 27, 2013

Please share this Fraud Dear SMP readers, Alert with colleagues, consumers, or other This week’s Fraud Alert contains warnings about a phishing scam professionals in your area. If involving $3000 in grocery certificates, a scam that requires you to you have any questions pay for supposedly winning millions of dollars, and scams involving about the Illinois SMP the Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. program, or to receive these Fraud Alerts directly, please Have a great weekend! contact Jason Echols, Healthcare Consumer What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert Protection Coordinator at  $3000 in Groceries Makes Great “Phishing” Bait AgeOptions.  If You Have to Pay to Win, You Didn’t Really Win  Stay Ahead of Health Insurance Marketplace Scammers This project was supported in part by grant numbers 90MP0163 and 90SP0015 from the U.S. $3000 in Groceries Makes Great “Phishing” Bait Administration on Aging, An Illinois resident recently called the SMP hotline after receiving a call Department of Health and Human from a company that was offering her $3,000 in grocery certificates and a Services, Washington, D.C. free medical ID bracelet. She wanted to know if this was a scam because 20201. Grantees undertaking the name of the company sounded very legitimate and very similar to a projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to non-profit agency that helps seniors. express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or This is likely a “phishing” scam (pronounced “fishing”) where someone opinions do not, therefore, pretends to be a trustworthy agency to get your personal information. necessarily represent official Here is an article on a similar type of scam with a recorded voicemail of Administration on Aging policy. this type of call: http://patients.about.com/b/2013/09/06/3000-in-free- groceries-right-a-medical-id-scam.htm Fraud In The News The following are current If you are struggling to pay for food, there may be legitimate programs in news articles about health your area to help, including SNAP. The best way to find your local senior care and fraud issues. service agency is to visit the Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov. Health Care Fraud: 1. “More questions surface If You Have to Pay to Win, You Didn’t Really Win about closed West Side A Fraud Alert reader in Rock Island received a call from a man claiming hospital” (Chicago that she won $2.5 million. He had tried to send her a check via UPS, but Tribune): somehow it was returned to sender. The caller then said that he would http://articles.chicagotribun be happy to resend the check, but he would need her to send $28.60 via e.com/2013-08- money transfer or a mailed check. The woman knew you should not 30/news/ct-met-sacred- have to pay to claim a prize, and she hung up and reported the call. If heart-hospital-fraud- you win a prize and are told via phone or a letter that you have to pay to 20130830_1_sacred- claim it, it is likely a scam. The FTC has a great article on Prize Offer heart-hospital-closed- scams at: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-offers. west-side-hospital- Stay Ahead of Health Insurance Marketplace Scammers edward-novak October 1 is the date that people who want to buy insurance through the Health Insurance Exchange created by the Affordable Care Act can start 2. “State temporarily the enrollment process. As we have reported in past Fraud Alerts, people suspends doctor charged on Medicare do not need to buy a plan in the Exchange because you in Sacred Heart health already have health insurance (Medicare is your health insurance). The care fraud case” (Chicago federal government wants to stay ahead of scammers using the Tribune): Exchange to trick you into giving out personal information. http://www.chicagotribune. com/news/local/ct-met- Here are a few articles about government efforts to prevent ACA fraud: sacredheart-doc-suspend- 20130914,0,23111.story  Healthcare.gov, the official Marketplace site, has a great tip sheet on how to protect yourself from and report fraud: Fraud Alerts contain information about current scams taking place in Illinois, announcements and updates about programs or services related to health care and/or fraud protection, and links to news articles about health care and fraud topics. Please forward any recommendations or announcements that you would like to be included in a future Fraud Alert to [email protected].