Friday January 18, 2013
Please share this Fraud Alert with colleagues, consumers, or other professionals in your area. If you have any questions about the Illinois SMP program, or to receive these Fraud Alerts directly, please contact Jason Echols, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator at AgeOptions.
This project was supported in part by grant numbers 90MP0163 and 90SP0015 from the U.S. Administration on Aging, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration on Aging policy.
Fraud In The News
The following are current news articles about health care and fraud issues.
Consumer Fraud:
1. “Beware of Business Coaching Scams” (FTC): http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/beware-business-coaching-scams /
Dear SMP readers,
This week’s Fraud Alert contains scam alerts about a scammer claiming to call from a local senior service agency, calls claiming to be from Medicare, and information about phishing scams.
Have a great weekend!
What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert
· Scammer Uses Local Senior Service Agency Name to Gain Trust
· Medicare is Not Calling You to Verify Information
· Phishing: Using Emails or Texts as Bait for a Scam
Scammer Uses Local Senior Service Agency Name to Gain Trust
A scammer is calling people in western Cook County claiming to be from Solutions for Care, a local senior service agency, and offering roof inspections and other home repair services. It is unclear what the scammer would do if someone accepted his services, but it is likely that he might collect personal information like a social security number. Solutions for Care has issued a scam alert clarifying that they do not offer these services and that they are not making unsolicited calls.
While this is a specific scam happening in Cook County, it can happen anywhere and any agency’s name could be used by a scammer to gain a consumer’s trust. If you ever receive a call from someone claiming to be from a local service agency or any other organization you do business with, you always have the right to verify who is calling you. Tell the caller that you do not accept services from unsolicited calls without verifying who they are. Hang up and call the agency or business using a number that you already have or that you have verified online or in a phone book.
Medicare is Not Calling You to Verify Information
The Illinois SMP received a report of calls that claim to be from Medicare asking beneficiaries to verify their information in order to send a new Medicare card. Remember that Medicare already has your information and never calls you. If you receive these calls, hang up and do not give your Medicare number or other personal information.
Phishing: Using Emails or Texts as Bait for a Scam
“Phishing” (pronounced “fishing”) is a common scam that gets its name from the way the scammer baits you into giving up your personal information. In a phishing scam, the bait is an email, text message, or a pop-up ad promising that you have won a prize or that you need to claim a package. This week, the Illinois SMP received two reports of phishing emails or text messages.
Do not reply to these messages. Delete them right away. Businesses do not contact you with emails and texts, particularly for a contest you never entered or about something you never ordered. If you want to verify if a message is true, do not reply to the email or text but contact the company by looking up a number from their official website or in the phone book.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an article about phishing scams and how to avoid them that you can read here: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0003-phishing. The FTC also has an interactive online game about phishing that you can play here: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/game-0011-phishing-scams.
Jason B. Echols, MSW, Health Care Consumer Protection Coordinator
AgeOptions
1048 Lake Street, Suite 300
Oak Park, IL 60301
phone (708)383-0258 fax (708)524-0870
ageoptions.org
AgeOptions, the Area Agency on Aging of Suburban Cook County, is committed to improving the quality of life and maintaining the dignity of older adults and those who care about them – through leadership and support, community partnerships, comprehensive services, accurate information and powerful advocacy.
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 .