If
anyone other than your doctor offers you a genetic test, don’t take the bait
DNA testing is a hot product. It can be
kinda fun and interesting to find out where our ancestors started out. But some
consumers may be in for a surprise if they aren’t careful about which genetic
service they choose to use.
That
surprise comes in the form of a warning sent out by government health
officials about a new hoax involving genetic tests. This is not your
run-of-the-mill genetic ancestry-leaning test. Rather, it uses Medicare
subscribers as its prey and the lure of preemptive disease assessment as the
bait.
The way
this scam is usually carried out is innocent on its face: You’re at a local
health fair and happen upon a booth where someone offers you a gift card or
maybe a coupon for free ice cream. Of course, that gift card or ice cream comes
with a prized attachment -- a free health screening that includes genetic
testing.
That’s
where things start to snowball.
“The
representative falsely promises that Medicare will pay for the test, and you
simply need to provide a cheek swab, your ID, and Medicare information to
receive your test results,” warns the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. “They may even ask for your doctor’s name, implying that
they will send your results to your doctor.”
The gotcha
At that
point, the fraudster has your Medicare credentials, as well as personal health
plan information which they might be able to monetize elsewhere. If Medicare
declines the claim, the consumer could be on the hook for the entire amount of
the test -- as much as $10,000.
“What’s
going on here is the same pattern of activity that has occurred throughout the
health care system: a great majority of law-abiding actors and a few that seek
out opportunities to game the system of government reimbursement,” writes Stats’ Bob Thomas.
“If you
can get a saliva swab and a Medicare number from an unsuspecting senior and
falsify a doctor’s order (or find a shady doctor to write one), there’s an easy
four-figure sum to be had. And if you’re willing to repeat that dodge a few
hundred or a few thousand times -- you get the idea.”
Making sure you don’t take the bait
Of
course, this, like most scams, is preventable. The Department of Health says
there are three important precautions:
1.
Genetic testing at the level the scammers are working on should
only be requested by a physician that you have a doctor-patient relationship
with and no one else.
2.
If a genetic testing kit shows up in your mailbox, don’t open it
unless your physician tells you to. If your physician says they didn’t request
it, refuse the delivery or return it to the sender. When you send it back, make
sure you keep a note of who sent it to you and the date you sent the kit back.
The post office will usually offer a receipt that has some of that information,
which will come in handy if you need to verify you returned the kit.
3.
All Medicare beneficiaries should be wary of any person or
company that asks you for your Medicare registration ID. If it’s someone other
than your doctor, keep your Medicare info to yourself.
Because
crooks always have their ear to the ground in an attempt to keep tabs on what
authorities are doing, this scam may take on new and different angles as it
progresses. If you suspect Medicare fraud or just need some peace of mind that
you’re doing the right thing, contact
the HHS OIG Hotline.
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