Health care fraud and abuse schemes

Fraud and abuse schemes via unsolicited phone calls or door-to-door solicitors have become more common in recent years. Here are common ways you may experience this kind of fraud and abuse:

• Callers or salespersons pretend to be representatives from Medicare or an insurance plan
• They offer no cost or low cost medical items and attempt to obtain insurance identification or other personal information from you through false representation
• Unfortunately, they are insistent, and may use intimidation and scare tactics

What to do

• Do not give out any personal information
• Do not give your health insurance identification numbers
• Report the concern

Millions of durable medical prescriptions have been filed falsely in a siginifcant fraud and abuse scheme. Here's how this type of fraud and abuse typically happens. 

• Medical equipment companies obtain prescriptions for medically unnecessary orthotic braces and use them to fraudulently bill Medicare
• You may be contacted via phone or door-to-door solicitors who may try to obtain your health insurance number or personal information in an attempt to file a false claim

What to do

• Do not give out any personal information
• Do not give your health insurance identification numbers
• Report the concern

It’s important to watch out for DNA scams. This involves scammers offering cheek swabs for genetic testing. It's actually an attempt to obtain health insurance information. 

What to do

• Don’t accept a kit unless your doctor ordered it
• Check with your doctor, who you know and trust, to approve any request for genetic testing
• Report the concern