Medicare/Medicaid Impostors Calling East Texas Residents

TYLER – The Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas is alerting elderly and disabled residents to beware of unsolicited phone calls from unscrupulous people looking to obtain Medicare or Medicaid information. According to a news release, in the last few weeks, BBB has received numerous phone calls from residents reporting they got phone calls from individuals pretending to work for Medicare. Consumers report these individuals are asking to confirm Social Security, income and bank account information. BBB reminds consumers to be on the lookout for Medicare impostors.

Navigating the Medicare system isn’t easy and some scammers will look for any opportunity to take advantage of the confusion, according to the BBB. Some callers may know the first few numbers of your account and claim they want you to verify the rest. The victim might be given any number of excuses to provide this information including that an error needs to be fixed, that he or she is part of a survey or eligible to receive free products or can sign up for a new prescription drug plan.

To avoid giving out sensitive information to the wrong people, BBB offers the following tips:

• Never give out personal information over the phone, especially if it is from an unsolicited caller. If consumers receive a suspicious phone call, they should hang up immediately, or don’t pick up the call at all. If it’s important, they will leave a message.

• Remind elderly family members that Medicare will never call to ask for sensitive personal financial information. If you suspect fraud contact your local police or the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at 800-HHS-TIPS.

• Don’t do business with door-to-door or telephone salespeople who tell you that medical services or equipment are free. Medicare, Medicaid and the Social Security Administration will not call you to update information or issue a new card.

• Give your insurance/Medicare identification only to those who have provided you with medical services.

• Keep accurate records of all health care appointments to prevent fraud involving Medicare/Medicaid information provided to doctors or caregivers.

BBB Serving Central East Texas fosters a trustworthy marketplace by maintaining standards for truthful advertising and by investigating and exposing fraud against consumers and businesses. To report fraudulent activity or unscrupulous business practices, call the BBB Hotline: (903) 581-8373 or use BBB Scam Tracker.