Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Here are some practical tips that can help prevent a disaster for you or your loved ones.

1) Protect your Medicare card, like you would a credit card of Social Security card. Do not ever give your Medicare  number when talking to someone you don’t know over the phone. Any kind of stranger who asks for your Medicare number is suspect — even if they claim to be conducting a government-sponsored health care survey.

2) Never allow a friend or relative to use your card. They may be trustworthy, but your number can be stolen from them. And of course, should you lose your card, you should report it immediately. Time is of the essence.

3) Never accept offers for medical equipment, supplies, or services that you do not need – or that you are already currently using. For example, you or loved one might be receiving dialysis treatment and be approached by someone offering “free supplies.” If you unwittingly give that person access to your name, address, and Medicare information, you may indeed receive these “gifts” and have Medicare  fraudulently billed without you knowing. When this happens, report it immediately.

4) Do not give your insurance information to anyone offering a free medical service. They do not need your insurance information (except of course to scam you by harvesting your Medicare number to commit fraud on your account!)

5) Check your Medicare statements regularly.  Review them carefully (just like you would check your credit card bill). Be on the lookout for suspicious charges — for example, bogus charges for doctor visits that didn’t occur, provider names that you don’t know, or any equipment or supplies that you have never received. Check with you physician or health provider first, just to rule out honest mistakes in billing or accounting. If you have an “unexplained,” suspicious entry, report it immediately.

6) Keep a log of your doctors visits and other medical services you receive, so that way you can check it against your statements. Buy a 50 cent spiral notebook and write this information down (see tip number 5).

6) Be careful of enrollment periods — this is the time when criminals victimize seniors by peddling bogus prescription plans. Sometimes these swindlers offer products and services that aren’t even covered by Medicare, to entice the unsuspecting senior. Go check out this link to see if the insurance plan you are considering is legitimate. If they are not listed here, be specially wary. Investigate further.

7) Review you credit reports regularly. If you find out that you have unpaid medical bills, that may very well be a result of a fraudulent transaction billed to your name.

Write the following phone  number down, and tape it on your refrigerator. This is the number you need to call if you suspect or encounter fraudulent activity:

(1-800-447-8477) or 1-800-HHS-TIPS

Their email is HHSTips@hhs.gov

In addition, you can go this link to find the Senior Medicare Patrol in your state (which is part of the State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program.)

These are the large scale scams that make the news.

However, there is a lot of fraud happening below the radar, so to speak, that can affect us directly.

For example, criminals often offer unsuspecting patients medical equipment and supplies they don’t even need, or even qualify for, to collect Medicare information. These swindlers then bill for other supplies and services the patients never received and pocket the reimbursements. Sometimes they even offer “free services” like cholesterol screening or diabetes check-ups, to get Medicare numbers. Though seniors trapped in these criminal set-ups rarely face financial liability, the fact is their medical records get compromised. This can negatively affect their health benefits in the future, without them even knowing that something bad has happened to their file.

For example, one senior needed a wheelchair, but was denied one by Medicare.  Her records indicated that she already had a wheelchair for the last five years. In fact, the individual’s Medicare number had been already compromised — and she didn’t even know when it happened!

Sometimes, Medicare recipients apply for long-term care, and their application gets denied due to that fact that their medical records are full of bogus tests and medical treatments. This affects not only these individuals directly in need of these services, but also the rest of the population. Fraud raises premiums. Also, whenever there are “crackdowns” to assuage the public about the rising incidence of these scams, it makes it extra difficult for people with true medical needs to apply for the care they require and deserve.

In our next post, we will cover some practical steps you can take to prevent these kinds of  abuse…

The improper or illegal use of an elder person’s resources is what’s known as financial abuse of seniors. Seniors are often targeted for these types of crimes because of their lack of awareness, fear of retaliation and loss of personal independence which may put them at risk. Often once something happens, the senior may feel pressured to not say anything because of putting more burdens to fix the problems on their family members or friends.

Empower yourself! By knowing the signs of these crimes you can take charge of your finances and be able to prevent or stop things like this from happening. And the sad truth is, elder financial abusers can often include:  immediate family members such as spouses, children or their kin, unethical business professionals, physicians or financial advisors, unscrupulous service providers such as contractors, caregivers, storekeepers and of course- unknown predatory scammers and con-artists. With so many different sources to keep a watchful eye on, learning the early warning signs can be a major start to winning this battle and stopping financial abuse altogether.

Common Warning Signs Include:

1. Newly authorized signers on financial accounts. Prevent this by checking all bank and credit card statements and opening all letters. Financial institutions will often mail the primary account holder an additional notification when this type of transaction occurs.
2. The unauthorized use of ATM or credit cards. Again, watching your statements can help stop this from the beginning if caught early.
3. Abrupt changes in wills, trusts or powers of attorney. Any of these types of changes should be brought to the senior first for approval.
4. Unexpected changes in named beneficiaries. Again, approval or acknowledgement should be given by the senior first.
5. Bank or credit card statements sent to a different address.
6. Dwindling funds with repeated unpaid bills. If your money is disappearing but bills are not being paid on time- you may have a problem. Contact a trusted attorney, family member or caregiver to find out what’s really going on.
7. Missing property such as jewelry, art or collectibles of value.

Work with trusted family members or friends to protect yourself and your assets from these types of scams. Utility, insurance and some mortgage companies allow seniors to name other people who may be alerted should missed or insufficient payments occur. Also, ask to be notified when unusual cash withdrawals or out of the ordinary financial activities occur on your accounts. Banks are getting better all the time at spotting abnormal activities early and flagging your accounts for review.

Protect Yourself By:

• Use direct deposits for receipt of checks: social security, pension plans and other income
• Do not sign blank checks- ever
• Review banks and credit card statements each month
• Do not sign papers you do not fully understand and have been reviewed by someone you trust
• Before donating to a charity, check if it’s a state-recognized nonprofit organization first
• Place outgoing mail inside, not outside, a covered mailbox while awaiting pickup

These basic steps can make a huge different for your safety and financial security.

1. Avoid telemarketers by registering with the National Do Not Call Registry by calling toll free (888) 382-1222
2. Screen out telemarketers with an answering machine, just remember to let your friends know that you have one and to leave a short message when they call
3. Get unlisted at Google. Find out if your name and address is publicly listed at google.com by typing them into the search box. If you find it, it’s easy to remove your listing from there.
4. Take your outgoing mail to a postal service mail box; don’t leave it in the mailbox at your home.
5. Opt out of incoming credit card and insurance offers. They risk exposure to identity theft. You can also opt out by signing up at www.opoutprescreen.com