How to protect yourself from open enrollment season scams relating to Medicare, insurance
Anyone watching old "Law & Order" episodes or movies on cable has seen cranky "Martha" in the big glasses on all those TV commercials and knows its open enrollment season for Medicare. At some companies, open enrollment is ongoing for health care coverage for those working, too.
Yes, it's prime time for the con artists.
Medicare and health benefit fraud is on the upswing, and surprisingly, even includes scammers flooding email boxes impersonating the human resource department of your company trying to get you to update your health benefits, according to Melanie Duquesnel, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan.
Duquesnel said she personally received about 10 emails in recent weeks that all looked like they're from her human resources department. They weren't. Some emails even have gone so far as to ask her to name her beneficiaries and provide their Social Security numbers, too. A definite, no-go.
"They also going after seniors with updating their Medicare plans," she said. "They're sending out emails and texts. Some of the commercials on TV right now creep the heck out of me."
Aggressive tactics trick some Medicare beneficiaries
Some retirees might be tempted to jump at a deal that appears to offer a way to save a few dollars here and there because they're already dealing with higher prices for food and other goods, thanks to inflation. The con artists know this, of course, and are only pushing harder to appear legitimate.
More: Social Security COLA increase in 2024 will be 3.2%. Some say it won't cover much.
The Medicare 2024 Open Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7. Before the deadline, those with Medicare can change their Medicare health plans, such as Medicare Advantage or stand-alone Part D Prescription Drug plans, for the upcoming year. It's also a time to compare what's offered under current plans with other plans. You can find information at Medicare.gov or call 800-633-4227.
How to avoid a Medicare scam
Some key tips for avoiding a scam:
Never give out your Medicare information or Social Security number to someone who calls or stops by out of the blue, even if the person claims to be a Medicare representative, according to a warning from the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Be skeptical of any letter that appears in the mail and claims to be from Medicare. Some have small disclaimers, noting that the letter is actually from a private company advertising a product.
Hang up or ignore anyone who says you must join their prescription drug coverage or you're going to lose your Medicare coverage. Some scam calls might begin with someone who sounds very professional and claims to be from the "Medicare enrollment center." Again, hang up.
Know that legitimate insurance agents or brokers are not allowed to approach you at the grocery store or a mall parking lot trying to sell you Medicare Advantage plans or Medicare Part D plans. They can't make unsolicited calls or texts, either. Or go door-to-door to leave materials at your home.
If someone asks you for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don't share your personal details, hang up, according to an alert from Medicare.gov. Instead, call Medicare at 800-633-4227 or visit medicare.gov.
A common Medicare scam tactic is telling older adults they qualify for a refund due to changes in their plan, according to the National Council on Aging. "The scammer may ask for your Medicare number — and even your bank account details," the alert noted.
The only time you must give a Medicare ID number is when you're actually enrolling in a plan.
Do not join a Medicare health or drug plan over the phone unless you made the call, according to alerts from Medicare.gov.
Be aware that some companies could offer you a Medicare drug plan that Medicare hasn't approved.
Know that sophisticated scammers can use spoofing technology to manipulate information on your caller ID to make it appear that the call is coming from an authority, such as Medicare or your health insurance provider, when the call is really being originated by criminals.
Do not rush into anything. You risk signing up for coverage that you really don't want.
Crooks want your personal information
New Medicare cards no longer use your Social Security number but the Medicare ID number now on the cards still can prove to be useful to crooks who want to use or sell that information so others can use your ID to obtain medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake billings to Medicare in your name.
Scammers want your Medicare ID information to be able to submit bogus claims for services, supplies, and drugs that you don't receive.
AARP recently reported a warning about how some claims for diabetes supplies use stolen ID information. Claims for continuous glucose monitoring devices are showing up on Medicare summary notices for people who don’t have diabetes and didn’t receive the device. The scammers are charging Medicare.
Margaret Anderson, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer for Detroit-based Health Alliance Plan, said consumers also need to be aware that some marketing efforts involve the use of ChatGPT artificial intelligence that can prompt someone selling a plan to ask additional questions or provide answers based on what the consumer just said.
While some of that information can be legitimate, she said, many aggressive telemarketing efforts involve a "bait-and-switch" tactic. The consumer might think switching to the new plan would save them money but only later do they discover what wasn't disclosed in the chat.
"It's leading with something that sounds great but not sharing all the details behind it, like your doctor isn't in the network anymore, your drugs aren't covered," she said.
The online chat -- which involves AI technology, not a real person -- could be programmed to push seniors to certain Medicare Advantage products.
While the annual enrollment period ends Dec. 7, she said, Medicare beneficiaries can tap into a one-time option for changing their plans — such as if they realize they made a mistake — from Jan. 1 through March 31. It's important to review any documents you receive once you sign up. Sometimes, seniors only notice an issue when they received a card from a different provider than the plan they thought they had.
In some cases, consumers thought they were talking directly with Medicare when they really weren't.
Anderson suggests doing your research. Do not just focus on price, she said, but look for good, quality service. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes the Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and Medicare Part D Star Ratings each year to measure the quality and service of health and drug services received by consumers enrolled in these plans.
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) @tompor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Scammers impersonate HR departments, target Medicare Open Enrollment
