Medicare Back Brace Scam Sets Seniors Up For Theft of Both Their Identity & Savings

Phone
Aug 20, 2017
Scam Database

Source: BBB

Scammers often target seniors by pretending to be representatives of insurance companies or healthcare companies. Recently, the Better Business Bureau is seeing a new twist on this classic con: calls from “Medicare” claiming to have your new back brace.

How the Scam Works

You pick up the phone, and it’s someone pretending to be a Medicare representative. From there, the con has two typical patterns. The scammer will either offer you a back brace through Medicare or claim that a caregiver previously called about receiving a back brace from Medicare.

If you show interest in the brace, the scammer will start asking for personal information, such as your Social Security number or a Medicare number to access the benefits. Don’t fall for these phony claims, even if the calls are persistent! The callers offer no company name and may even hang up on you if you ask for further company information.

Protect Yourself from Healthcare Scams

  • Medicare should already have your basic information: If Medicare or another governmental organization contacts you, they should already have your name, address and other basic info.  A call claiming you have been identified for an offer (but doesn't have your name or other information) is probably blasted out to thousands of phone numbers.
  • Never share your Medicare number with an unsolicited caller. Treat your Medicare number like your credit card info or other personal details. Do not share it with unsolicited callers.
  • Check BBB Tips: For more information about healthcare scams, check bbb.org/healthcarescam.

For more information:

For more information about Medicare fraud, check out these resources on Medicare.gov.

Issues: 
Credit Card Scams, Identity Theft, Phishing Emails, Phone Scams