Clackamas County Social Services

The SHIBA Chronicles

Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance

2024, Issue 2

Medicare fraud costs an estimated $60 billion each year. How does this affect you? These costs can result in unnecessary copayments for services and equipment never received, compromised medical records, and higher medical premiums. The first week of June is Medicare Fraud Prevention Week across the country, which focuses on the actions everyone can take to detect, prevent and report Medicare waste, fraud and abuse.   

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is a partner program of SHIBA that educates Medicare beneficiaries on Medicare Fraud Prevention.

Find more information or look at the events calendar.

Fraud Prevention Alert: Caller ID Spoofing

Scammers can spoof your caller ID to appear as Medicare, Social Security, or your doctor’s office. Here are some tips to protect your medical identity:

• Verify the identity of callers by calling them back using a trusted number, not one the caller provides.
• If you answer your phone and it’s not who you expected, HANG UP immediately.
• Never give out personal information (Medicare or Social Security number) to an unsolicited caller.
• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered “YES” or “NO”.

If you need help with a situation involving suspected medical fraud, call SHIBA at 503-655-8269 for help from a Certified SHIBA Counselor volunteer.