Wisconsin BBB scam alert; beware of health care cons during open enrollment

MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers to be on the lookout for health care scams during open enrollment. 

If you are adding or changing your Medicare or Healthcare.gov coverage during open enrollment, the BBB says watch out for unsolicited calls claiming to "help" you find the best deal. 

How the scam works

What we know:

According to the BBB, here's how it works: callers allege they can enroll you in a better plan than what you currently have, according to Scam Tracker reports. This new plan is cheaper, and you can keep all the same services. To get started, all you need to do is provide some personal information, such as your Medicare ID number and your Social Security number.

Victims report that a caller pretended to be an agent "asking if I got a new updated Medicare card in the mail. He then verified my name and mailing address. Then he wanted me to get my old card and read off info to him, such as the date on the lower right side of the card. When he asked me to read my card number, I told him I cannot." 

Another consumer reported being targeted through a text message and shared the following: "I received a text saying that my health benefits were about to expire and I needed to call the number to renew. Then, the representative told me I had to pay and my bank had to verify with them...That's when I knew it was a scam."

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Tips to avoid open enrollment scams

What you can do:

Selecting a health insurance plan can be challenging and complex. Be on the lookout for common red flags.

• Be wary of anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Healthcare.gov and Medicare provide legitimate help for determining which plan is right for you. These people — sometimes called Navigators or Assisters — cannot charge for their support. If someone asks you for payment, it's a scam. You will also need to contact them on your own. They will not call you first.  
• Be wary of free gifts and "health screenings." Keep a healthy level of skepticism any time a broker offers you free gifts or other special deals. Never sign up with a broker who offers you an expensive sign-up gift in exchange for providing your Medicare ID number or additional personally identifiable information. Other times, brokers offer free "health screenings" to weed out people who are less healthy. This technique is called "cherry picking" and is against Medicare rules.
• Guard your government-issued numbers. Never offer your Medicare ID number, Social Security number, health plan info, or banking information to anyone you don't know.
• Go directly to official websites. If you want to make changes to your healthcare plan, go directly to Medicare.gov, Healthcare.gov, or your employer's health insurance provider. Don't click on links in suspicious messages. 
• Contact your employer directly. If you receive an unexpected email about benefits policies, ask your employer about it before you click on anything to make sure it's legitimate.