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 - January 8, 20010

Dear SMP readers,

Welcome back to the weekly Illinois SMP Fraud Alert!  I hope that you all had wonderful holidays, and I look forward to another year of working with all of you to help stop health care fraud in our great state! (Note: I’m attaching a Word version of this Fraud Alert to this email for anyone who has difficulty viewing the formatting.)

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.

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What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert

• SMP Representative Featured on Federal News Radio
• “Senior Healthcare Consultants” are NOT from Medicare
• Stop That Junk Mail!
• Ruse Entry Burglary in Wheeling
• Fraud in the News

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SMP Representative Featured on Federal News Radio

Shirley Merner, the Director of the National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center for the SMP programs, was interviewed this week on Federal News Radio. The interview is about 5 minutes long and can be found here: Radio Interview - Shirley Merner. I hope that you will all take a moment to listen to Shirley highlight the important work of SMPs!

 

“Senior Healthcare Consultants” are NOT from Medicare

The Louisiana SMP reported an incident in Louisiana involving a company called “Senior Healthcare Consultants (SHC).” The Louisiana SMP has received complaints about this company contacting beneficiaries and aggressively setting up appointments to discuss “changes in the Medicare system.” The Louisiana SMP Coordinator contacted the company and was told that they are not affiliated with Medicare in any way. The representative from SHC and the SHC website state that SHC provides healthcare and financial planning services for seniors. (See www.shcmarketing.com for a description of what SHC does and their goals.)

During this time of year (the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period), it is important to remind Medicare beneficiaries that Medicare will NEVER ask for personal information over the phone or at the door. I am not aware of any current Medicare surveys being conducted, so it is also unlikely that people will currently be receiving calls or visits from any true Medicare representatives. Therefore, if anyone receives a phone call or visit from someone who claims to be “from Medicare,” I recommend that the person contact us at (800)699-9043 to report the incident. The person should record any information they can about the caller or visitor – name, contact information, and company, if possible, so that we can assist in filing a complaint when appropriate.

Stop That Junk Mail!

A representative from the Wheeling Police Department shared the following website, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, which contains useful information on how to stop unwanted junk mail: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - Junk Mail

Ruse Entry Burglary in Wheeling

Ruse entry burglaries seem to be occurring quite a bit lately in Illinois, and due to the “fraud-like” nature of such burglaries, I think it is important to warn Illinois consumers. The Wheeling Police Department reported one such burglary in December – a man knocked on an older woman’s door and told her that her neighbor’s water main pipe was broken. The man said that he wanted to check the water pressure in her home to see if her home had also been affected. The woman eventually let the man into her home and stayed with the man as he checked her water pressure. After a short time, she became suspicious and told the man to leave. After he left, the woman realized that all of her dresser drawers were open and her jewelry boxes had been moved around – she found that $300 was stolen from one of her drawers. (Note: All information in this description was taken from a crime report issued by the Wheeling Police Department.)

Please remind your clients and loved ones to be wary of anyone who comes to their door unexpectedly. If a utility company or any other agency sends someone to your home, you can contact the company to verify – BEFORE letting the person in. Odds are, if you weren’t expecting the visitor, he/she shouldn’t be there.

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Fraud in the News

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

1. “Senior Citizen Volunteers Fight Medicare Fraud” (national AP article about the SMP programs!!):
Senior Citizen Volunteers Fight Medicare Fraud

2. “AARP Scam Alert: ‘Elder Law’ Mailings Too Good to Be True”:
AARP Scam Alert

3.“Could Free Trial Offers be Fee Trial Offers in Disguise?” (Federal Trade Commission Press Release):
FTC - Free Trial Offers Warning

4. “Defective Imported Drywall – Don’t Get Nailed by Bogus Tests and Treatments” (Federal Trade Commission Press Release):
FTC – Bogus Drywall Testing Warning

5. “Metro Man Loses Thousands in Phone Scam” (article about Grandparents Scam from NBC News in St. Louis, MO):
Metro Man Loses Thousands

 

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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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