Courtesy of AARP Fraud Watch Network
| How It Works: |
| •A prerecorded call from “Becky from Medicare” (or Becky, working closely with Medicare) encourages you to press “1” to talk to a representative to learn about “free genetic testing.” •If current trends continue, the call appears to originate in West Palm Beach, FL. •If you do interact with “Becky” (or one of her friendly colleagues), she’ll claim you are eligible for genetic testing to screen for diseases that Medicare will pay for; it’s a scam .•They will ask you for your Medicare number and mailing address to send you a “test kit with instructions.” |
| What You Should Know: •Medicare will never call you personally to offer genetic screening or any other test, treatment or device — the program requires a prescription from your doctor for all of these .•The ultimate prize for scammers is your Medicare number: Once they have that, they bill Medicare — costing the program billions each year. •These charges can also result in Medicare denying you for services you actually need later on. |
| What You Should Do: •Don’t engage with Becky, or anyone else who claims to be working with or for Medicare offering free access to tests, devices or treatments. Medicare simply doesn’t work this way. •Only share your Medicare number with trusted health care providers; calls out of the blue for free resources from Medicare are only out to deceive you and drain Medicare resources. •Review your Medicare summary notices. Make sure the dates and services listed are correct. If something doesn’t look right, call your medical provider’s office. |