Happy Friday my friend, this week the Hawaii Department of Health issued a public warning of new scams involving catheters and glucose monitoring supplies.
These bad guys are reaching out by phone, text and email, using impersonation and fear to push people into buying gift cards or handing over personal information that can be sold on the Darkweb.
The Takeaway
DOH has posted some tell-tale signs of these new scams. Here are the red flags to look for:
The caller claims to be a physician, but you don't recognize the name whatsoever.
The physician is outside the state of Hawaii.
You receive an email containing an Explanation of Benefits (“EOB”) or Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) that shows a large quantity of supplies you’ve (obviously) never received.
You receive an email or text demanding payment for a statement of supplies showing charges for medicine or medical supplies that you never ordered.
To report any suspicious healthcare billing activity, contact Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Hawai‘i at (808) 586-7281 or toll free at 1-800-296-9422. SMP Hawai‘i-trained volunteer counselors can also assist with non-health related scams by referring you to the appropriate agencies or resources.
Stay safe out there.
-Attila
Check out a recent interview on Danielle Tucker's the Golf Show about how scammers are taking advantage of the Maui tragedy