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I take care of my mom 93 with mild dementia. She is doing pretty well. There are moments I get stressed as I have no help. I was stupid and took a call from someone who said they were from Medicare. Said my mom would be entitled to copper braces for ankles and knees. She has a bad knee. I gave her Medicare number and date of birth. They said a doctor would call "in few days" to speak with me. As soon as I gave # and DOB, I regretted it. They will put thru a claim for braces and bill my mom the rest. I called Medicare but they were very matter of fact. I am scared I'll get a bill that we can't pay. Anyone have this happen? Any advice? I feel like such a fool....

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Cindy, here are a few resources to consider:

AARP's advice; skip down to the "How to Report Medicare Fraud section:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/medical-equipment.html

Reporting fraud:
Office of Inspector General directly at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800‑447‑8477, or TTY 800‑377‑4950).

or https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/index.asp

https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Components/CPI/CPIReportingFraud

https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-resources/help-fight-medicare-fraud/how-report-medicare-fraud

AARP's Fraud Reporting Hotline:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/call-fwn-helpline.html?intcmp=AE-SCM-FRD-CTA-HLPLN

Some of this information may be duplicative, but it may also give you additional resources.

Even if the Medicare individual with whom you spoke wasn't helpful, you should still report the fraud. Do you have caller ID? Still have the number the scammer used? Include that in the reports.

You might also check with your state's Attorney General or the State Police to see if they have any task forces that address these scams. Several years ago I needed to report a scam and contacted local and state police as well as a USPO Inspector General. I learned the State Police had created a fraud task force.

Please don't blame yourself; these scammers are coached on how to approach people and get personal information, and a caregiver and her/his elderly family are good targets, especially if the scammers catch them when they're off guard.


I would agree with Becky not to accept package, but do check to see what the return address is and jot it down before returning the package, then provide that information to the Medicare IG or other fraud entity to which you've reported the fraud.

The tracking number can help Federal agencies locate the scammers.

And do follow up with Medicare in writing, advising of the "transaction", the trickery, and action you've taken. I don't know what Medicare coverage you have (i.e., a supplementary policy such as Medigap), but you want to address that coverage to stop the scammer from collecting from an additional insurer.

Another consideration: check your local state laws to see if their are "rescission rights" to cancel orders or purchases w/i a certain number of days. You can search on "rescission rights", "contract cancellation" (these scam calls aren't contract based, but you might find some additional information or suggestions), "buyer's remorse" or similar topics.
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Cindyn12345 Jun 2020
THanks to all of you. I so appreciate your kind words and advice.
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I would refuse the package and return to sender. Or accept the package. Do not Open. Mail back to the company Return Receipt Requested. This should stop any bills.
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You’ve gotten good advice. I just want to tell you to try very hard to forgive yourself. You are NOT stupid or a fool. These people are pros. They prey on our love for our parents at a time when our defenses are down due to the exhaustion of caregiving. You WILL get through this hiccup. Bless you and the love you have for your mom.
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Cindyn12345 Jun 2020
Thank you Melissa! ❤
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I did the EXACT same thing! And I swear I'm usually very good about spotting scams. But it was right after my dad passed and Mom was very vulnerable and I jumped in to "help." (haha!) So, I personally went to our local social security office and waited for an hour and a half to talk to someone and tell them what I did. They reassured me that the new medicare numbers that were given were done so for specifically this reason.... to protect medicare recipients from being scammed. They are no longer social security numbers so they told me there is really not anything they can do with it but just to be on the safe side, keep an eye on all of her medicare bills that come in for any sign of fraudulent billing. So far so good. Nothing bad has happened and this was almost a year ago.
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Thank God our Medicare IDs are no longer our SS#s.
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Hang in there and reread MelissaPA2AZ's comment as many times as necessary, as it is spot on. You're doing the best you can - and the fact that YOU are doing it says something good about you.
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Imho, imposters are going to target the elder population and/or the advocate for elder, which is you. However, these people are pros and know that the careigiver is, no doubt, tired. It is not your fault. Please take GardeArtist's stellar advice.
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Watch her Medicare claims on Medicare.gov. If you see a fraudulent claim paid report it to them.
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Best approach tell Medicare it was a Marketing Misrepresentation, that they impersonated Medicare, even though Medicare does not make such offers. Keep information from the dubious outfit and insist they took advantage to commit fraud. Never answer calls like that, always initiate the call and make sure who is it you are calling. Immediate formal complaint with Medicare.
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Be careful and expect to get many, many calls from these scammers in the future. (sorry) My mom was conned by them - to the tune of almost $15,000 - six sets of knee, shoulder, neck, and whatever braces sent to her house. Returned everything, had Medicare and insurance charges reversed, but the phone calls persisted. My mom couldn't understand why these people keep calling her, and I told her it was like she had an "Open" sign on her telephone number. They know the person fell for it once, so they'll try with the next scam, and the next scam, and the next scam. It's just disgusting.
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