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 - May 7, 2010

Dear SMP readers,

Today’s Fraud Alert contains a reminder warning about Jury Duty scams and a large number of fraud-related news articles. 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

• Jury Duty Scam Reminder
• Be Cautious With Door-To-Door Solicitations
• Fraud in the News
  
  
  

Jury Duty Scam Reminder

I received a warning this week about a scam that has been around for quite some time now, but we haven’t mentioned it in the Fraud Alert for awhile, so I thought it was worth a reminder. In the “Jury Duty” phone scam, a person receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a jury duty coordinator and asking for personal information. Often, the caller tries to make the person believe that he/she has missed jury duty, and there is a warrant out for the person’s arrest, in order to scare the person into giving their Social Security number or other personal information.

For more information about this scam, see the FBI’s alert from 2006: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

 

Be Cautious With Door-to-Door Solicitations

Now that spring is here, door-to-door solicitations seem to be increasing.  I always want to remind Illinois consumers to protect personal information – do NOT give out Social Security numbers, birthdates, Medicare or Medicaid (or other insurance) numbers, credit card or bank account numbers to anyone who comes to the door without your prior permission. If the person who visits you is from a legitimate business, he/she should be able to give you information about the company, so that you can look them up yourself and get more information before doing business with them. Unfortunately, some door-to-door solicitors are simply scam artists who pose as a legitimate business person to steal your information.

If you receive a solicitation from a legitimate business, contact your local Better Business Bureau and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to verify that the business does not have any serious complaints against them, and verify that they have the appropriate business licenses. Request written information about the service or product that you wish to receive, and read it thoroughly – watch for any hidden fees, charges, or long-term contracts that you do not want. If a company claims to work with your utility provider, for example, you can check with your utility provider to make sure that the company does in fact have a contract with your utility provider and is licensed to provide the service. You can also read their service information to see if there are any fees for early cancellation of the service, etc. Finally, never forget this very important mantra: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!

Note: This is also a good place to mention that Census workers have begun door-to-door visits. It is critical that every U.S. resident returns their census information, so consumers should not turn away a real census worker. For information on how to recognize a real census worker, see this press release from the U.S. Census Bureau:

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/2010_census/014748.html

Fraud In The News

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

1. Edison Volunteer to Be Honored Friday in D.C.” (article about an SMP volunteer who was chosen to honored at the MetLife Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards Ceremony today in Washington, D.C. Every year, 26 volunteers are chosen for this award. One of our Illinois SMP volunteers, Barb Acuff, was also nominated):

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100506/NEWS/5060348/-1/newsfront/Edison-volunteer-to-be-honored-Friday-in-D.C.

2. “Physical Therapy Clinic Accused of Medicare Fraud” (ABC local news VIDEO): http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7424879

3. “Health Care Insurance Scams Rise as Layoffs Leave Workers Uninsured (Kaiser Health News):

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/May/05/FT-Health-Care-Insurance-Scams-Rise-as-Layoffs-Leave-Workers-Uninsured.aspx

4. “State Goes High Tech to Cut Down on Medicare Fraud” (CBS4 local news article in Florida about a new program to verify home health services with Medicare beneficiaries): http://cbs4.com/local/medicare.medicaid.fraud.2.1676212.html

5. “Florida’s Senior Citizens Get More Protection From Fraud” (AARP Scam Alert):

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/scamalert/articles/ floridas_senior_citizens_to_get_more_protection_from _fraud.html?cmp=NLC-RSS-DAILY-BULLETIN

6. “Lake County Opening Prescription Drug Dropoff”: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=377351

 

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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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