New phone scam targets Medicare beneficiaries

There’s a new phone scam on the rise in which scammers alter your caller ID to make it seem as if the call is coming from the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).

The purpose is to get Medicare beneficiaries and members of the public to verify or share personal information, which they use to victimize people via financial and other crimes – draining their bank accounts. OIG (Office of the Inspector General) wants the public to know that HHS OIG will not use the HHS OIG Hotline phone number to make outgoing calls and individuals should not answer calls from 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).

HHS OIG also encourages those who believe they may have been a victim of the phone spoofing scam to report it to HHS OIG either through its Hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or via email at spoof@oig.hhs.gov. Consumers can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).