BBB warns of potential rise in healthcare scams

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Better Business Bureau warns of a potential scam that will be happening from now until the beginning of the new year.

“They often look very official and they pretend to be connected to the government or a business you may know. Sometimes they may even claim to be a healthcare benefit advocate or something like that — a fancy title of that nature,” said ,” said Toddnetta Trice, Public Relations Communications Specialist with the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South.

From Tuesday, October 15 until Saturday, December 7, Medicare will have their open enrollment period. American Affordable Care Act will have their open enrollment from Friday, November 1 to Wednesday, January 15. Consumers may become vulnerable to healthcare related scams. It is uncommon for these workers to contact you via phone call, in person, or email.

“So a lot of times people will think ‘Oh, they’re giving me a call to remind.’ No, they will never give you a call to remind you. Most cases they will send out a letter reminding you about the renewal, open enrollment and things of that nature,” said Trice.

Here are things consumers should look out for during this open enrollment period.

“What you should know is healthcare.gov does provide legitimate help with figuring out which plan is right for you. These people are sometimes called ‘navigators’ and are not allowed to charge you for help,” said Trice.

Along with not charging, never offer your medical ID number, social security numbers and banking information in return for a better deal.

“They will give you a gift card if you hurry up and enroll now. Those promotions are highly unlikely where the government will give you a gift card in order to get some of your personal information,” said Trice.

Ads and alerts may become a way for scammers to contact consumers so here’s a tip on how to avoid this scam.

“It takes just one simple task and that is to just hang up the phone if you are receiving an unexpected call and you are not sure. You can always Google the numbers and check where it’s coming from,” said Trice.

Another important tip is to make sure the website you are visiting ends in “.gov” to make sure it’s legitimate.

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