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[MM Curator Summary]: Fraudsters are already exploiting the upcoming expansion of Medicaid in N.C. by communicating to existing and potential members they need to pay money to maintain Medicaid eligibility.
North Carolina’s new state budget will expand Medicaid, making 600,000 additional people eligible for coverage.
What You Need To Know
- The Better Business Bureau says it has received reports of scammers soliciting people who may qualify for Medicaid under North Carolina’s expansion
- The BBB says it’s an attempt to steal identities and money
- Scammers are also scaring people into believing they’ll lose Medicare benefits
The Better Business Bureau says it has gotten reports about scammers posing as government officials going after residents’ personal information ahead of Medicaid officially expanding on Dec. 1.
BBB president and CEO Tom Bartholomy says people who think they may be eligible for the federal program can be targets for scammers. They’re using emails, texts and social media to get through to potential victims.
“Anybody who’s not been in Medicaid before is going to go, ‘OK, maybe this is how I get going on this,'” he said. “But it’s really not the case. This is just a scammer that’s posing as state-sanctioned Medicaid expansion and they’re really just there to steal your money and steal your identity.”
Even if Medicaid isn’t on your radar, Bartholomy says con artists have other ways to get to you.
“Their other angle now is that with Medicare, open enrollment is starting on Oct. 15, and so they’re reaching out to people who are Medicare age,” he said.
He says the impostors are threatening to take away benefits unless you “take action” right away.
He recommends going directly to the government’s websites to learn more.