BBB: Be Alert for Health Insurance Scam

Americans should be on alert for scammers posing as government workers, the Better Business Bureau advises. The purpose of the scam is to fool you into sharing your personal information, which can then be used to commit identity theft.

The scam starts with a phone call from the con artists who claims that you have been selected to receive insurance cards through the Affordable Care Act - also known as “Obamacare.” In order to receive your insurance card, you are asked to provide personal identifying information.

The con artist often sounds quite credible and may already have some personal data on you when they call. They may ask you to “verify” numbers such as your bank account number, its routing number, or your social security number. They may ask for a credit card number or your Medicare ID number. After getting the necessary information from you, the scammers are armed to open credit accounts using your name or steal from your bank account.

The BBB advises Americans to hang up on the caller without pressing any buttons, and avoid returning voice mail messages from suspected scammers. Keep in mind that the U.S. government typically doesn’t call, text, or email. Government agencies normally communicate via postal mail, and they should already have your basic information such as your social security number. Also, don’t trust caller ID - scammers have technology that can change what shows up as the number or organization name.

Anyone can be contacted by these con artists, but people age 65 or older, people with disabilities, and small business owners may be more likely to be targeted due to special provisions in the new law for people in these groups.

The BBB also reminds Americans that the only place to shop for a qualified health plan is www.HealthCare.gov, which is run by the FTC's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.



Source:
Better Business Bureau