The summer is winding down and scam artists are running rampant. There’s a new scam out targeting Social Security recipients and if you or anyone you know receives a Social Security check you need to be extra cautious.

Scam artists are always looking for ways to gain access to your valuable information. Your address, mother’s maiden name, and the holy grail of all personal information: your Social Security Number, are all prized possessions. With this information, scam artists are able to call the real Social Security Administration and change the direct deposit bank information. Suddenly, victims stop receiving Social Security checks because the money is being deposited into the thieve’s bank account.

What’s the latest Social Security Scam?

In the latest scam, thieves are calling Social Security recipients and promising them an increase in benefits if they verify their information. According to the U.S. Office of the Inspector General:

Scam artists target Social Security recipients and pretend to be employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Thieves tell victims they are “due for a 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment increase in benefit.” Victims just need to verify personal information including SSN, name, date of birth, parents’ name, etc. over the phone. Then, with this information in hand, scam artists contact the official Social Security Administration. Next, they change the victim’s direct deposit banking information to reroute Social Security checks to the scammer’s bank.

Signs this is a scam

It can be hard to know what is real and what is a scam these days. With modern technology making it easier than ever for hackers to access your personal information it is easy to become a target.

The Social Security Administration will (Rarely) Call You

One tell-tale sign that this is a scam is the fact that these scam artists are calling you and asking you to verify your information over the phone. As with most government entities, the SSA will rarely call you over the phone. The SSA will mail you a letter requesting action. They will only occasionally call you over the phone after they have sent you that letter.

If the SSA does, in fact, call you they will not ask you to verify your information over the phone. They may ask you to verify information if you call them on their toll-free phone number 1 (800) 772-1213 but they will not contact you to verify your information over the phone.

If you’re a Victim

If you were targeted by these scam artists but did not provide them with your personal information, file a report with the Office of the Inspector General. Make sure to keep your guard up. If you do notice anything suspicious with any of your Social Security checks or bank accounts, contact your local authorities.

If You’re a Victim of this Scam

The first thing you should do is file a report with the Office of the Inspector General. Next, contact the SSA and inform them of what happened. You will want to make sure scammers haven’t changed your bank account and contact information. If they have you will need to change that immediately. Once thieves were able to have one or many checks deposited into their own bank accounts it is highly unlikely you will ever see that money again.

In 2017 it is more important than ever to double check your medical bills after procedures and hospitalizations. A 2014 TransUnion Health Care survey showed that 54% of people are confused by their medical bills and 62% are confused by out of pocket costs. A growing number of people are being ripped off at the doctor, whether that is happening intentionally or unintentionally is up for debate. This post will give you tips to prevent insurance fraud and avoid getting ripped off when you go to the doctor’s office.

What is insurance fraud?

At a high level, insurance fraud is when someone provides false information to an insurance company to receive a higher payout. In the healthcare sector, it often happens with inflated billing. That means charging for exams or procedures that never happened or miscoding exams and procedures. Each procedure and exam at the doctor’s office, ER, and the hospital has a specific code and is billed differently. For example, a visit to your general practitioner (GP) is going to be billed and charged differently than a visit to a specialist, like a Dermatologist.

Can I be a victim of fraud?

The short answer is yes, anyone who visits the doctor can be a victim. In fact, it is a fairly common occurrence. Under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) several exams and procedures are covered under Preventive Care. This means that when billed correctly, your insurance will cover the procedures and exams completely and you won’t have to pay out of pocket.

It happened to me

Last year I went in for a routine Well Woman visit and my doctor performed a routine exam and Pap Smear. A month later I received a bill for a few hundred dollars for the exam and test. I was wrongly charged for these procedures and they should have been covered in full by my insurance, without me having to pay a copay.

After I received the bill I called my insurance company and explained the situation and they agreed that the bill should be covered under preventive care. Unfortunately, I had to take matters into my own hands and call the doctor’s office and again explain the situation, that I was misbilled. The doctor’s office had agreed that they had miscoded my visit and procedure. The billing assistant edited the bill and resubmitted it to my insurance company. This is where I hoped the story would end.Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky. My insurance company received the bill again however instead of editing a past bill, the insurance company thought the doctor’s office was trying to submit the exact bill again. The insurance company didn’t realize that it was indeed a new bill with the new codes. So, my insurance company ended up denying that bill and again I was billed by my doctor’s office for the balance of a few hundred dollars. I had to call the doctor’s office again as well as my insurance company to get this taken care of. Unfortunately, it ended up taking 6 months to ultimately have my insurance company except for the newly coded bill.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky. My insurance company received the bill again however instead of editing a past bill, the insurance company thought the doctor’s office was trying to submit the exact bill again. The insurance company didn’t realize that it was indeed a new bill with the new codes. So, my insurance company ended up denying that bill and again I was billed by my doctor’s office for the balance of a few hundred dollars. I had to call the doctor’s office again as well as my insurance company to get this taken care of. Unfortunately, it ended up taking 6 months to ultimately have my insurance company except for the newly coded bill.

Key takeaways

The first step towards protecting yourself against insurance fraud is making sure that you understand your insurance coverage and plan. When you understand your plan you’ll know what’s covered and what’s not covered especially when it comes to preventative care. So, take the time to read through your insurance documents and be sure to ask your HR specialist at work if you have questions on what’s covered and what’s not. You can also call your insurance company, from my experience their customer service team is usually pretty helpful and from what I found and will answer thoroughly your questions regarding your plan.

The next step is to make sure you review all of your bills from the doctor to ensure that your being charged properly and things are being properly coded. It only takes a few minutes to pick up the phone and call your doctor’s office to ask them a question if something looks off to you. The small amount of time you take to learn and understand your coverage and bills could end up saving you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars throughout your lifetime.