Lancaster County woman fights back against Medicare fraud: 'I didn't want them to win'
A Lancaster County woman refused to be a victim of Medicare fraud.
Rebecca Miner said she was skeptical from the moment she answered the phone.
"And they said, 'No, this is Medicare calling all seniors. We are Medicare,'" she said.
She was told knee braces were being sent to her.
"They're free to you under the new 2025 program offered January – free to you," she said the caller informed her.
She told the caller – in no uncertain terms – that she didn't want the braces and was not giving them her Medicare information.
"We don't need any info. We have your address. We have your Medicare info. We're not asking for your birth date," she said.
Sure enough, the caller did have Miner's information. The person also had a threat.
"Because if you don't take the braces and say yes, I'll accept them. Your account will be flagged. Your Medicare account will be flagged in the future until your death," Miner said.
A few days later, a package of knee braces arrived at an address Miner said she lived at more than three years ago. The package, which was forwarded to her, was shipped from a medical equipment company in Texas.
When News 8 On Your Side consumer investigator Brian Roche called, he was connected to a man who said he used to be associated with the company. He offered no other information and didn't answer questions.
The shipping company in Tennessee told News 8 it has no direct connection to the Texas company, saying it ships what it is paid to ship.
Miner said she reported her case to Medicare and was told investigations have been started.
Both Medicare and her supplemental insurance have denied payment for the braces. Miner returned them.
"Well, I didn't want to be scammed. I didn't want the $2,400. I didn't want them to win. And most of all, I wanted to protect other seniors," she said.
Although prosecutors across the country have won thousands of Medicare fraud convictions against many other companies, crooks still churn out fake Medicare claims.
They often operate through shell companies they quickly set up and run for just a short period of time before moving on. According to Texas business records, the company that sent Miner the braces just opened a couple of months ago.
Scammers get the Medicare numbers through data breaches and make phone calls pretending to be Medicare.
Remember: Medicare will not call you unexpectedly to request personal information. It already has that information. Instead, Medicare will usually send you a letter in the mail.
If you suspect fraud, call the number on the back of your Medicare card and report it. If you don't let Medicare know what's going on, fraud will continue to grow.
