Durable Medical Equipment Schemes are a Favorite of Fraudsters

Health care fraud schemes often entice Medicare enrollees with offers of free services, medical equipment, or gift cards if the enrollee confirms their personal information and eligibility for specific Medicare services. Fraudsters target enrollees through phone calls, internet ads, and text messages that promise the enrollees are “qualified” for “free” or “no-cost services.” In the most recent scheme, scammers are using enrollees’ personal information to submit monthly bills to Medicare for medically unnecessary urinary catheters that may or may not actually be sent to the Medicare enrollee. Other scams target knee and back braces. Read a story from Reuters.

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