There are new scams for Senior LinkAge Line staff and volunteers to be aware of:

• Catheter kits: Beneficiaries are receiving the catheter kits without any physician order or request from the beneficiary. The fraudsters are billing Medicare for the kits and have received Medicare payment. If you receive any calls about this fraud, please complete the Health care fraud form. 
   
• Floods: Callers receive inquiries from people who say they want to buy their flood damaged house. These are scam calls and older adults should be advised not to pursue. You can also learn about common scams after natural disasters from the FEMA website.

• COVID-19 test: After May 11, 2023, laboratory tests for COVID-19 that are ordered by the beneficiary's provider will still be covered with no out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare. Over-the-counter tests will still be available, but there may be out-of-pocket costs. Coverage of over-the-counter tests may vary by the person's insurance type. 

• Unwinding of Medical Assistance: Reports are coming in that the scams related to the unwinding has begun. Enrollees are getting calls telling them that there is help available, for a fee, to renew them in their program. Free help is available statewide. 

• "Medicare" calls: People are calling Medicare beneficiaries and asking them to verify their ZIP code, type of policy held, the color of their Medicare card, and other personal information. In one report, the caller said to the Medicare recipient, "What can I do to convince you that I'm calling from Medicare?" Scammers are looking for missing pieces of information to steal their identity. 

• Gift cards: People are calling beneficiaries to get them to go to a store and buy a gift card to send them. 

• Medicare cards: People are calling beneficiaries directly and telling them they can send them a Medicare card with a chip if they provide the scammer with their personal information.

Do Not Call List
National Do Not Call Registry
You can sign up for the Registry for free by telephone or through the Internet. To register by phone, you must call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register. To register online, go to www.DONOTCALL.gov. You must have an active email address to register through the Internet so you can receive an email that is part of the registration process.

Protect your phone number on Facebook
From your computer:
Once you add a number to your profile from your Mobile Settings page, you can select the audience you share it with:

1. Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Click About, then click Contact and Basic Info.
3. Next to your mobile number, use the audience selector to choose who can see your mobile number.

From your android app:
Adjust who can see your mobile number on your profile

1. Tap  in the top right of Facebook, then tap your name.
2. Tap See Your About Info, scroll down to Contact Info, then tap Edit.
3. Tap the dropdown menu and select a new audience.

From your iPhone app:
Adjust who can see your mobile number on your profile

1. Tap  in the bottom right of Facebook, then tap your name.
2. Tap See Your About Info, scroll down to Contact Info, then tap Edit.
3. Tap the dropdown menu and select a new audience.
4. Tap Save.

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is receiving alarming reports that criminals are impersonating SSA OIG agents and are requesting that their targets meet
them in person to hand off cash. SSA OIG agents will never pick up money at your door or in any type of exchange. This is a SCAM! NEVER exchange money or funds of any kind with any individual stating they are an SSA OIG agent. This new scam trend introduces an element of physical danger to scams that never existed before.

Action to take: Advise the person to stop talking to the scammer, notify their financial institutions and safeguard their accounts. Additionally, advise the person to call the police, file a police report, file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, and report Social Security-related scams to SSA OIG. Other scams should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Lastly, they should keep their financial transaction information and the record of all communications with the scammer. Please note, these do not need to be reported in a health care fraud form.