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How to Detect a Medicare Drug Plan Scam
Consumer group sounds warning about criminals posing
as plan representatives
Oct. 6, 2005 - Since legitimate marketing for the
federal program began last week, consumers across the nation are
becoming aware that, starting in January 2006, Medicare will begin to
offer coverage for prescription drugs. As prescription drug plans,
consumer and health advocates, industry, and the government begin to
send information about the new drug benefit out to the public, senior
citizens will need to know how to tell if they are dealing with a
reliable resource.
The National Consumers League (NCL) warns that con
artists are already taking advantage of the fact that consumers will
have various choices of Medicare drug plans by trying to offer phony
Medicare drug plans. Their real objective is to steal consumers' money,
personal information, or both. Medicare beneficiaries considering
enrolling in a prescription drug plan, warns the advocacy group, need to
be on the lookout for telltale signs that an offer may be fraudulent.
"Choice can be a very good thing, but crooks are
always looking to take advantage of opportunities and might pretend to
be from the government or legitimate companies to trick people into
handing over their money or personal information," said Susan Grant,
National Consumers League Vice President and Director of the National
Fraud Information Center. "But there are ways to determine if you're
looking at a real deal; to start with we always advise people to be
extremely careful about giving out their Social Security and bank
account numbers."
The Washington-based nonprofit organization has
released new advice for Medicare beneficiaries at
http://www.fraud.org/ that will help them avoid falling victim to a
Medicare drug plan scam. Sample tips from the site include:
• Check the list of Medicare-approved prescription drug
plans. If a plan
is not on the list, it's a scam.
• If someone says you must join or you'll lose your other
Medicare
benefits, it's a scam. The Medicare prescription drug benefit is
voluntary.
• If someone asks for payment before November 15, 2005, it's
a scam. The
plans are allowed to begin advertising on October 1, 2005, but
they're
not allowed to begin enrolling people and asking for payments until
November 15, 2005, which is the beginning of the six-month open
enrollment period.
• Guard your personal information from identity thieves
posing as sales
people. Legitimate plans may ask for your Social Security number,
but
only when you are actually enrolling. And if you do join a plan,
they
can only ask for your credit card or bank account information if you
are
arranging to make automatic payments for your drug coverage from
that
account.
For additional warning signs and to find out how
you can learn more about the Medicare drug plan, look for the National
Consumers League's new tips at
http://www.fraud.org/.
For more information, write or call the National
Consumers League at 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, D.C.
20006, 202-835-3323.
About NCL
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is
America's pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and
promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the
United States and abroad. For more information, visit
http://www.nclnet.org/.
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