I am sure that most of you, if not all of you have heard the saying “buyer beware.” It may be an old saying, but it still holds true to this day!

Medicare scams can come by phone, e-mail, TV advertisement, door to door and at vendor fairs. With Chautauqua County losses to Medicare fraud at approximately $38 million per year, it is not surprising that I receive many phone calls from folks who are being harassed by trolling phone calls from scammers. Many folks who call me often ask, “How do these callers know so much about me?”

Scam artists are very clever, but we help them out by giving out a lot of our information. Some of the ways to be on the radar of the scammers is:

¯ Frequently entering contests;

¯ Mailing in warranty cards;

¯ Filling in lots of surveys;

¯ Posting personal information on social media.

Be careful of what information you share and remember that Medicare will not call you. If you are interested in learning more about how to “prevent, detect and report Medicare Fraud” and would like a presentation about Medicare Fraud at your community organization, give me a call.

The next phone teach in is on May 21. Mark Kissinger, Special Advisor to the Commissioner of Health Care, will discuss the “New York State Department of Health Age Friendly Health Care Systems Initiative.”

If you would like more information about out regional meetings, starting a NY statewide chapter in your county, the phone call ins, would like to schedule a presentation, or are interested in volunteering to speak about Medicare Fraud, give me a call at 1-800-333-4374.