Illinois SMP Program Fraud Alerts

 

The Illinois SMP Program sends email Fraud Alerts every Friday. These alerts contain fraud-related news articles, information about current scams in Illinois or other parts of the United States, and useful healthcare or fraud-related resources. If you would like to be added to the Illinois SMP Fraud Alert email list, please contact:

Erin Weir, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator

Phone: (800)699-9043, (708)383-0258

TTY: (708)524-1653

Fax: (708)524-0870

erin.weir@ageoptions.org

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Illinois SMP Fraud Alert - February 19, 2010

Dear SMP readers,

Please check out the attached SMP Sentinel Newsletter for a wealth of information from SMP programs across the country. Also see below a helpful alert from the Illinois Attorney General’s office, as well as a link to their Every Cent Counts Guidebook. We also have a warning about a census scam, and of course, Fraud in the News.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Erin Weir, MSW, LSW, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator

AgeOptions

1048 Lake Street, Suite 300

Oak Park, IL 60301

phone (708)383-0258 fax (708)524-0870

erin.weir@ageoptions.org

ageoptions.org

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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 Erin Weir, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator at AgeOptions.

What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert

• SMP Sentinel February 2010
• “Census of Senior Citizens” is NOT the Census
• Illinois Attorney General Alerts Seniors About the CARD Act
• Illinois Attorney General Every Cent Counts Guidebook
• Fraud in the News

 

SMP Sentinel February 2010

The February issue of the SMP Sentinel newsletter, issued by the National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center for SMP’s, contains some very helpful articles and resources for volunteer recruitment and retention, information on the anti-fraud measures included in health care reform, and an article on how identity thieves can obtain your information on the internet. It also includes a number of articles written by local SMP programs, including one on page 6 contributed by the Illinois SMP program. The February Sentinel is below in PDF format. Here are a few highlights:

SMP Sentinel February 2010

• Pages 1-3 discuss current and future activities involving SMP volunteer management, including a national steering committee on volunteer risk management. Erin Weir, Illinois SMP Coordinator, is a member of this steering committee.

• Page 6 is an article on volunteer risk management written by Illinois SMP Coordinator Erin Weir.

• See page 9 for resources from the Health Assistance Partnership on volunteer recruitment and retention.

• On page 18, Health Benefits ABCs has contributed an article about the anti-fraud measures being discussed as part of national health care reform

• Page 21 is an informative article about identity theft and the internet

“Census of Senior Citizens” is NOT the Census

A Buffalo Grove resident recently received a piece of mail from an organization that calls themselves the “National Census of Senior Citizens.” The letter states that the resident needs to complete the enclosed survey and return it within 5 days. It says “Your name was electronically selected to represent your voting district in this National Census of Senior Citizens… Your answers in this National Census of Senior Citizens will help the Council for Retirement Security plan strategy for Senior Citizens this coming year.” The letter requests that the person send a donation of $14.58 with their survey. This is NOT the census – it is an organization using the name of the census to convince people to donate money. The entire letter is available here: http://foster.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Senior_Census_Mailer.pdf, and here are two news articles about this mailing:

'National Census' Scam Targets Senior Citizens

Letters Mimic Official Census, AG Warns

If anyone receives these letters, they can report it to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Senior Citizen Consumer Fraud Hotline at (800)243-5377.

Please educate consumers in your area that the real census form is NOT an opinion survey, and census documents will NOT request money or personal information like Social Security or Medicare numbers. For more information about the real census, you can visit the census website at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/.

 

Illinois Attorney General Alerts Seniors About the CARD Act

The Illinois Attorney General’s Silver Beat Program trains older adults on financial scams and health care fraud, so that they can share the information with others in their community. Recently, the Silver Beat program released an alert about the new Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. Here is the information from that alert:

On February 22, 2010, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act takes effect.  This Act mandates new rules for credit card companies and increases consumer protections. 

The following are a few key changes enacted by this law: 

• Credit card companies cannot charge a rate increase during the first 12 months after opening an account, unless you’re more than 60 days late on a payment.
• Rate increases can only be applied to new charges one full year after opening an account.
• Credit card companies cannot charge any annual and application fees in excess of 25 percent of your initial credit line.
• Credit card companies cannot calculate the amount of interest based on your average balance from the last two months. This practice is known as double-cycle billing and is now prohibited.
• Promotional rate periods must last at least six months.
• Credit card companies cannot charge over-limit fees, unless the cardholder previously agreed to be allowed to go over his or her limit. This means that you cannot exceed your maximum credit limit unless you authorize it.
• Credit card companies cannot charge fees to make credit card payments online or by phone, unless you make a payment on your due date.
• Credit card companies must give you a 45-day notice of pending rate or fee hikes or any other significant change to your credit card terms.

For more information about the CARD Act, see the fact sheet on the Federal Reserve Web site at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/wyntk/creditcardrules.htm. If you do not have Internet access, please call our Senior Citizens Consumer Fraud Helpline at 1-800-243-5377 (TTY: 1-800-964-3013).

Illinois Attorney General Every Cent Counts Guidebook

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office has produced an “Every Cent Counts” Guidebook that provides very helpful information and resources on a variety of financial and fraud issues, including information for people struggling to pay a mortgage or interested in a reverse mortgage, information on credit card holders’ rights, payday loans, identity theft, and scams. You can view pages from the Every Cent Counts Guidebook here: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/everycentcounts.html.

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Fraud In The News

The following are current news articles about health care and fraud issues.

1. “Crime Stoppers Seeks Information on Prescription Fraud” (Springfield residents – please see this request for information about a prescription fraud situation in the Springfield area!): "Crime Stoppers Seeks Information..."
   
   
2. “Bill Targets Medicare Equipment, Prescription Fraud” (STLToday.com article about new bills being introduced to fight Medicare fraud): "Bill Targets Medicare Equipment, Prescription Fraud"
   
   
3. “Anti-Fraud Efforts Focus of National Summit” (American Medical News article about the National Health Care Fraud Summit that took place a couple of weeks ago): "Anti-Fraud Efforts Focus of Federal Summit"
   
   
4. “Quick Facts About Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and How to Protect Your Personal Information” (Medicare publication on Prescription Drug Coverage and fraud/identity theft): "Quick Facts About Medicare Prescription Drug..."
   
   
5. “AARP Scam Alert: Your Wallet Is No Place for a Medicare Card”: AARP Scam Alert
   
   
6. “Tips for Choosing A Charitable Organization” (tips from the University of Illinois on how to choose a charity):
   "Tips for Choosing a Charitable Organization"

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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 erin.weir@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.

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