Illinois SMP Fraud Alert March 23, 2020

March 23, 2020

Scammers Are Using the Coronavirus

Fear for New Fraud Schemes

Scammers follow the headlines when it comes to creating a new scam. Fraudsters are taking advantage of people's fears surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak. These scammers are setting up fake websites, sending fake emails, fake social media posts and phone calls to try to sell you fake products that they claim can prevent this virus.

Please don't fall for these scams, below are tips to avoid falling victim to the fraudsters:

Do not click on links you are not familiar with regarding COVID-19.
Ignore online offers for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Do not give away any personal information over the phone.
The Social Security Administration and Medicare will not call your home.

Please click here to read the rest of the press release from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC has also released a list of scams to look out for during this pandemic:

Undelivered goods ordered online
Fake Charities
Robocalls
Fake emails
Rumors/misinformation

You can read here in detail about all of these scams and tips on how not to fall victim to these scammers.

If you have or someone you know has fallen victim to one of these scams or any other Medicare fraud, please call the Illinois SMP at AgeOptions at (800)699-9043.

You Can Complete the 2020 Census Online Now. Have You Been Counted?

By now, you should have received a letter in the mail respond to the 2020 Census. You can complete the 2020 Census now either online at www.My2020Census.gov or by calling (844)330-2020.

While you can take the Census online or by phone now, you can also wait for a paper form to come in the mail.

However you choose to respond, filling out the Census is very important for your community. This snapshot of America & Illinois will impact funding for a number of things, including Medicare, Medicaid and fraud prevention programs like SMP. Complete it early to avoid Census takers coming to your door and to stop getting reminders in the mail.

Illinois SMP Offering Free Webinar Series

During this time of crisis, the Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol is still devoted to giving our beneficiaries, partners, friends and family the most up to date information regarding the current Medicare Scams across the United States of America.

With many people working from home and practicing social distancing, therefore not being able to attend our outreach events in person, we wanted to create an innovative way to reach our communities.

While we will continue to send our bi weekly fraud alerts, we will now be offering a brand new FREE webinar series that will take place every Thursday from 1:00 until 1:30 PM CT with a 30 minute Q & A to follow each presentation. This is a four part series that will cover many current topics and how to Prevent, Detect, and Report any Medicare Fraud.

We encourage everyone to sign up for all 4 webinars and share with anyone you know that would benefit from this important information! Below are registration links, dates, and descriptions to all 4 of the webinars.

We hope you join us every Thursday for the next month! Stay Safe!

1.Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Basics Thursday, March 26, 2020

An introduction to what the Illinois SMP provides to Medicare beneficiaries and how we serve our message of Protect, Detect and Report in the communities we serve. We will also go over current trends of what is happening in the world of Medicare Fraud including COVID-19.

2. How to Read Your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) Thursday, April 2, 2020

Learn how to read your MSN and what to look out for when looking for potential fraud on your MSN.

3.Types of Medicare Fraud Thursday, April 9, 2020

We will discuss the different types of Medicare fraud, current trends we are seeing in 2020 and how scammers use different forms of communication to pull off their schemes.

4. Tips to Help Prevent Medicare Fraud Thursday, April 16, 2020

We will go over what to look out for when dealing with fraudsters, tips to avoid getting scammed, signs you can identify if you feel like you are getting scammed and what to do if you do fall victim to one of these Medicare fraud schemes.

For any questions regarding these webinars please reach out to me at travis.trumitch@ageoptions.org and I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.

Have a wonderful week!

Travis Trumitch

travis.trumitch@ageoptions.org

Please share this Fraud Alert with colleagues, consumers, or other professionals in your area. If you would like to sign up to receive the Fraud Alert directly, visit click here.

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90MPPG0036, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

The Illinois SMP at AgeOptions partners with agencies across the state to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.

Please share this Fraud Alert with colleagues, consumers, or other professionals in your area and visit our website to sign up for our Fraud Alert email list.