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 - June 18, 2010

Dear SMP readers,

This week’s Fraud Alert includes a new SMP tip sheet on health care reform and scams, an alert from the Silver Beat program about a health care reform scam, and reports of phone and burglary scams from around the state. See the Fraud in the News section for a variety of health care and fraud-related articles, including an article about a survey showing that one in five older Americans has been a victim of some type of financial fraud.

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

• NEW Illinois SMP Tip Sheet!
• Silver Beat Fraud Alert about Medicare Scams
• Banking Information Phone Scam
• Burglary Scams Continue
• Fraud in the News
  
  

NEW Illinois SMP Tip Sheet!

The Illinois SMP program has a new tip sheet available on our website, in our “Illinois SMP Materials” section. The tip sheet provides information on scams related to health care reform. The tip sheet is attached to this email, and consumers can also access it by going to our website, www.illinoissmp.org, and clicking on “Illinois SMP materials.” All of our tip sheets are available on that page, including this one.

Illinois SMP Health Care Reform Scams Tip Sheet

 

Silver Beat Fraud Alert About Medicare Scams

In partnership with the Illinois SMP program, the Illinois Attorney General’s “Silver Beat” program provides outreach and education to seniors about consumer and health care fraud. This week, the Attorney General’s Silver Beat program coordinator issued an alert about scams related to the $250 checks being mailed to Medicare beneficiaries who reach the “donut hole” in their Medicare prescription drug coverage. Please read the alert, which is attached to this email, and share it with others in your community!

Silver Beat Fraud Alert - $250 Donut Hole Check Scams

 

Banking Information Phone Scam

The SMP Coordinator in Bloomington, Illinois reported this week that she and several colleagues received a scam phone call recently. The call was a recording stating that the person’s debit card had suspicious activity on it, and that the person needed to enter the debit card number into the phone using the telephone keypad. The call came from the following number: (714)505-3945. One of the call recipients tried calling this number back and received a recording stating that the office was closed. She then contacted her bank, who told her that everything was fine, and she had no suspicious account on her card – the call was a scam.

It is important to remember NEVER to give out personal information like Social Security or Medicare numbers, credit card numbers, or bank account/debit card numbers over the phone – even to a recording. Scam artists can record the numbers that are keyed into a phone using sound technology, so even if you type the numbers in on your keypad, they will be able to use your information.

Burglary Scams Continue

The Bloomingdale and Moline police departments have both issued alerts in the last week regarding burglary scams. In Bloomingdale, a female was able to gain entry to an older woman’s home by claiming to be selling magazines for her cheerleading squad and was locked out of her house. The older woman let the girl in to call her father and wait for him. The girl stole the woman’s checkbook and left with it. In Moline, two suspects approached houses that were for sale, and one of the suspects claimed to be interested in buying the house to distract the residents. Meanwhile, the other suspect enters the home and steals the residents’ possessions.

Please remember, and remind others in your community, NOT to let strangers into your home under any circumstances. It appears that a wide variety of these burglary scams are being reported lately, so it is important to take appropriate caution. If a stranger comes to your door, you do not need to answer it.  If someone claims to be from a utility company, government agency, etc, tell them that you wish to contact the company and/or the police first to verify the person’s identity, and leave the person outside until the police arrive.

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Fraud In The News

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

Health Care Fraud:

1. “Federal Government Seeks Power to Exclude Those Involved with Health Care Fraud From Working Again With Medicare”:
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2010/June/16/Health-Care-Fraud.aspx

2. “New Medicare Scams Reported”: http://newsandtribune.com/local/x1996922542/New-Medicare-scams-reported

3. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Releases Report on Challenges and Strategies for Preventing Improper Payments in Medicare
full report (15 pages): http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10844t.pdf
report highlights (1 page):  http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d10844thigh.pdf

Consumer Fraud:

4. “Police Warn of Possible ID Theft Scams” (Bloomington, IL):
article_9eaa58f6-7967-11df-b193-001cc4c002e0.html http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/

5. “One in Five Older Americans a Victim of Financial Fraud”: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/older-americans-fall-prey-to-money-scams-2010-06-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp

6. AARP Scam Alert: Are You Really Moving? An Identity Theft Scam That Comes in the Mail: http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-06-2010/ scam_alert_are_you_really_moving.html?cmp=NLC-RSS-DAILY-BULLETIN

 

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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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