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The Rural Maryland Council is pleased to be partnering with the Maryland Department of Aging to expand the SMP program into six rural counties that do not currently have one. This web page is designed to assist partners working on the project.
Maryland SMP is an anti-fraud project administered by the Department of Aging through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration on Aging. The mission of Maryland SMP is to develop a program that enlists senior volunteers to teach Medicare and Medicaid clients how to recognize and report health care fraud, waste, abuse, or error. Read more about SMP
A postcard scam that began in 2004 targeting seniors with an advertised 'Elder Law Update' has resurfaced. The National Center on Elder Abuse warns consumers to look for a business reply mailer that begins with "Congress has legislation that standardizes entitlement provisions for persons 60 and over..." and then solicits personal information and a signature to request additional information from the 'National Processing Center' or 'American Senior Alliance.' Recipients are advised to destroy the mailer and to notify the postal inspectors. For more info, see http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Alerts/4-12-14NatProcessCenter.htm Also, read a legal opinion from the Texas Attorney General's Office
Listen to a news report about recent incidents of scooter fraud. The story explains that similar cases occurred in July 2009 in Houston, Boston, New York and Louisiana.
Fact Sheet: Detroit's Medicare Fraud Strike Force (Press Release) March 2009
U.S. Department of Justice Press Release (June 24, 2009)-- Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 53 Health Care Professionals
The Better Business Bureau has questioned Free Medicine Foundation's use of the words free and foundation in its name. According to the company's website, for a ten-dollar fee per prescription, they will send you an application to apply for free medicine from pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the BBB feels that this company's name has the capacity to mislead potential customers by using the word "foundation" within its name. According to the Internal Revenue Service this is not a foundation or a charity. The BBB has brought these concerns to this company's attention. Consumers should be advised that the paperwork offered by Free Medicine Foundation for a fee may available for free from other sources. The BBB has learned that this company is also operating under the name Bureau of Prescription Help. For more information.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on bogus charities and warning consumers to ask questions before donating money. These days, we all want to make our giving count, and not send money to a scammer. The FTC and 48 states have announced a nationwide sweep targeting scam artists who claimed to be raising money for military veterans, firefighters, and police officers. In reality, almost all of the money went to the fundraisers themselves. Scam artists like these can be very compelling, so it's important for consumers to know the warning signs of a charity fraud. For more tips and information. Also, see the FTC's newest consumer alert, Supporting the Troops: When Charities Solicit Donations on Behalf of Vets and Military Families
For more information, please read the press release.
Beware: Jury Duty Callers.
A caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you
never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your
Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the
information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this
information and bingo! Your identity was just stolen. The fraud has
been reported in 11 states. This swindle is particularly insidious because they use
intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving
information by pretending they are with the court system.
The FBI website and
the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web
sites, warning consumers about the fraud. For more info,
see Snopes.com (Posted May 27, 2009)
More Scams Reported from Other States
Iowa
Nebraska
Pennsylvania
California
Ohio
Colorado
How to Identify a Census Field Representative Census Bureau agents are in neighborhoods, but some scammers are impersonating them. If you are visited by someone from the United States Census Bureau, here are some RECOGNITION TIPS to assure the validity of the field representative:
Financial Planning Providers are NOT sponsored by the Federal Department of Health& Human Services. Any claims to consumers to the contrary should be treated as suspect; See below message from HHS to all staff. Recently, the Office of Human Resources (OHR) learned of several organizations contacting HHS employees via e-mail implying endorsements from HHS in an attempt to target employees as clients. Although we encourage all HHS employees to be proactive in all aspects of financial, tax and retirement planning, we do not endorse any private provider. As a reminder, HHS has no connection with, or responsibility for, any other "supplemental" financial planner. Our programs do not use sales agents or telephone solicitations of any kind. It is not the practice of OHR, Human Resources Centers or Human Resources Offices, to contact employees at work, at home, in person or by phone to sell financial planning information. All federal employees are free to pursue financial planning with outside sources and are encouraged to comparison-shop. However, when shopping, employees should not be misled into believing the provider is sponsored by HHS. (Posted April 2009)