Previously Only in a Few States, Latest Medicare Scam Reported in Florence, SC

In July, a Medicare scam was reported in New York, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Ohio. The company, GMY, was reported to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the organization has warned senior citizens to beware of the phone scam making its way through Medicare dependents.

The Medicare scam has now shown up in South Carolina.

Gail, a Medicare patient who lives in Florence and asked that her last name not be revealed, is the first reported victim of the Medicare scam. The first week of September, she reported a man called her and said she needed to provide information or she would lose her Medicare benefits.

“I know better than to give out any personal information, but this man was really convincing,” Gail said.

“I can’t remember if he actually said he was with Medicare, but he did say he was calling because Medicare was delivering new cards and they needed my information,” she said. “When I said I didn’t think I should give that out to anyone, he said, ‘Well if you don’t believe me, I already have the first numbers of your checking account and we have to have this information for your new Medicare card.’ I did think for a minute that our Social Security numbers are on our Medicare cards, which isn’t good, so I thought maybe that’s why they were changing cards. I didn’t give him the information at first, but he just wore me down.”

She knew immediately after she hung up the phone that she had made a mistake. She contacted the Social Security office, and they informed her that they had had similar reports from other Medicare scam victims, and she should contact her bank immediately.

“The whole time I was making the calls to the Social Security office and my bank, he was calling me back — I guess trying to get more information — but I just hung up on him,” Gail said. “The bad thing is I know better than to do this. He had a very thick accent, and I don’t really think he understood what I was saying to him. He just kept repeating what he was saying to me. But still, he was convincing. He wore me down.”

Gail managed to contact her bank before the Medicare scammer did, but other victims of the Medicare scam have not been so lucky.

Florence law enforcement officers say Medicare fraud occurs in South Carolina every day.

“These people do this for a living. This all they do all day, every day. They’re crooks, and the more they do it, the better they get at it,” Florence Police Maj. Carlos Raines said. “If something seems fishy, it usually is. Always trust your gut feeling about something, and if you have any question at all about a call, call us before you give out any information.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help Victims of Medicaid or Medicare Scams

If you have experienced identity theft or credit card fraud, whether through Internet phishing or a Medicare scam, you are not alone. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help clear your name and even reinstate your social security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.