Health insurance companies aren鈥檛 the only ones competing for your money as the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 deadline approaches. Scammers are also trying to get in on the confusion. According to Jim Quiggle, a national spokesman for the. There are con artists use to get sensitive information 鈥� most often they鈥檒l pose as representatives of government agencies.
In one popular 鈥渋mposter scam,鈥� the caller claims you鈥檝e been selected to receive health insurance cards as part of the ACA, but before the card can be sent the fake federal worker requests data such as bank account numbers. In another scam, the con artists claim new Medicare cards will be mailed out and in order to continue receiving benefits you must provide personal data.
The truth is that there are no new Medicare cards being mailed out, and there is no insurance card associated with the ACA.
John Greeley, of the , says they have received calls about false insurance claims related to the ACA, but didn鈥檛 say the number. Nationwide, were filed with the Federal Trade Commission about so-called 鈥渋mposter claims鈥� in 2012 alone. And the FTC says law enforcement agencies are reporting an increased number of .
Here鈥檚 what you need to know to stay safe:
- There is no enrollment for the new online marketplace health insurance exchange until October 1st and after.
- There is no such thing as a 鈥渘ational鈥� insurance card.
- Government agencies already have your personal information. So unless you contact a specific agency, you should never be asked to verify, or provide personal data.
- If you get an unexpected knock on your door from someone who claims to be a government employee, it likely ISN'T. You should receive advance notification of any official making a visit.
If you think someone鈥檚 tried to scam you, , or by calling 877-382-4357.
