Feds: Virus fraud preying on elderly
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scam artists are preying on older people’s fears by peddling fake tests for the coronavirus to Medicare recipients, a federal law enforcement agency warned this week.
Alerting seniors to fraud, the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office said it has seen marketing schemes rapidly pivot to offering tests for COVID-19 and “Senior Care Packages” with hand sanitizer or even tout a vaccine, which does not exist. Some marketers falsely claim that President Trump has ordered that seniors get tested.
It’s all a trick to get personal information that can be used to bill federal and state health programs, said Christian Schrank, assistant inspector general for investigations.
Low-income Medicaid recipients also are being targeted.
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