FTC Shuts Down Multi-Million Dollar Phone Scam (FTC)
Friday, April 4, 2014
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 Jason Echols, Healthcare Consumer Protection Coordinator at AgeOptions.
This document was supported in part by a grant (No. 90MP0163 & 90SP0061) from the Administration on Aging (AoA), Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore, points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official AoA, ACL, or DHHS policy.
Fraud In The News
The following are current news articles about health care and fraud issues.
Health Care Fraud:
- “Effingham Doctor Indicted on Charges of Health Care Fraud and Illegal Dispensation of Controlled Substances” (FBI): http://www.fbi.gov/springfield/press-releases/2014/effingham-doctor-indicted-on-charges-of-health-care-fraud-and-illegal-dispensation-of-controlled-substances
- “FTC Shuts Down Multi-Million Dollar Phone Scam” (FTC): http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/ftc-shuts-down-multi-million-dollar-phone-scam
- “Tech Support Scams” (FTC): http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0346-tech-support-scams
Dear SMP readers,
This week’s Fraud Alert contains testimony before the U.S. Senate from the Michigan SMP, an alert about an IRS call scam, and a link to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.
Have a great weekend!
What you will find in this week’s Fraud Alert
- Michigan SMP Testifies on Fraud Before Senate Committee
- Prepare Your Taxes While Scammers Prepare to Take Your Money
- Resource: AARP Fraud Watch Network
On March 26, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on “Preventing Medicare Fraud: How Can We Best Protect Seniors and Taxpayers?” Bettie Hughes from the Michigan SMP testified before the committee along with Medicare beneficiary Patricia Gresko who received unnecessary treatments from a doctor later arrested for Medicare fraud. The stories that they shared are powerful examples of how costly health care fraud can be not only to the government but also to individuals and families. It is a rare opportunity to testify before a Senate committee in this way, and we are proud of the brave testimony Bettie and Patricia gave.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association also testified. You can watch video of this special hearing and read the testimony of the witnesses here: http://www.aging.senate.gov/hearings/preventing-medicare-fraud-how-can-we-best-protect-seniors-and-taxpayers
Prepare Your Taxes While Scammers Prepare to Take Your Money
As people prepare to file their federal income taxes by April 15, scammers are preparing to take advantage of people’s fears that they may owe money to the government. Imagine if in the middle of all your tax preparation, you get a call from someone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) saying that you owe taxes and must pay immediately. Maybe you think this is a scam, but your caller ID shows the call is from the IRS and the caller has some personal information (like the last four digits of your social security number). The caller demands payment immediately with wire transfer or prepaid debit cards. No matter how convincing the caller may seem – this is a scam.
AARP posted a blog article giving more detail about this scam: The article also includes some good tips on how to recognize this as a scam and what to do next, including if you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to verify.
Resource: AARP Fraud Watch Network
News of the fake IRS call scam above came to the Illinois SMP through the AARP Fraud Watch Network. This AARP website and email alert system offer free scam alerts, tips, and resources about consumer fraud. Check out this new website and sign up for email alerts at:
Jason B. Echols, MSW, Health Care Consumer Protection Coordinator
AgeOptions
1048 Lake Street, Suite 300
Oak Park, IL 60301
phone (708)383-0258 fax (708)524-0870
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.
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 .