How you can protect yourself from healthcare scams

Woman talking on the phone.

Protect yourself from telephone and email scams

Healthcare fraud may impact your ability to receive care, and scams contribute to costing taxpayers and the healthcare system billions of dollars every year.1

Never give out any personal, financial or health insurance identification information over the phone or email unless you are certain it’s a trusted source.

Types of information that are particularly important to protect include:

  • Personal: Social Security number, name, date of birth, address, passwords and answers to account security questions
  • Financial: credit card and bank account information
  • Health insurance identification: health insurance identification number and account sign-in information

Humana will never contact you unsolicited for this information. Ask for the caller’s name, organization and call-back number and attempt to return the call before continuing the conversation. Scammers will likely abandon the call when you ask for this information.

Don’t rely on caller ID or the incoming phone number listed to authenticate a caller’s identity. Scammers can use “spoofing,” where a caller causes a fake phone number to appear. This allows scammers to make it look like they’re calling from a legitimate business in an effort to steal your personal, financial or health information.

Telephone scams are often carried out by individuals claiming to be from a trusted source, such as your insurance company or a government agency.

Current telephone scams include:

  • Attempts to sell you a “reservation” for a future COVID-19 vaccination
  • Scammers may falsely claim to be from your insurance company, and they might ask for your personal information or credit card number to provide you with a service, for example, face masks or COVID-19 testing
  • Scammers claiming to be referred by your physician to schedule delivery of an item
  • Scammers claiming to be government contact tracers seeking personal information about you and your family
  • Scammers calling to offer you free health services, equipment or medication products

If you are contacted by someone claiming to be associated with your physician or local public health department, hang up and contact said individual or organization yourself to verify.

Email and internet scams are increasingly common and may target your personal or financial information or seek to compromise your devices.

Current email scams include:

  • Emails claiming to be from a trusted source attempting to sell fake healthcare supplies, testing or treatments
  • Emails claiming to be from a trusted source asking you to make a charitable donation or take steps to secure your financial well-being

Protect yourself from door-to-door scams

Never open your door to uninvited or unexpected visitors. Neither Humana nor government agencies will visit you in your home without first scheduling an appointment.

Door-to-door scams are particularly concerning, especially during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Current door-to-door scams include:

  • Claiming to provide free COVID-19 testing or other fraudulent services in order to gain entry to your home or obtain personal information
  • Leaving unannounced genetic testing materials at your door with a number to call for further instructions. During the call, the scammer claims your physician referred the test and that you should return it for pickup once completed. The scammers then use the test to falsely bill insurance.

Always verify the use of at-home test kits with your physician.

Protect yourself from insurance billing scams:

Review your Humana SmartSummary® and Explanation of Benefits carefully. If anything looks concerning, contact Humana immediately.

Current insurance billing scams include:

  • Billing for healthcare (medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.) services you never received
  • Sending medical services or equipment, such as lab tests, knee or back braces, foot baths and pain creams that are unnecessary and were not ordered by your physician
  • Billing for a different, more expensive service than the one you may have received
  • Using your healthcare insurance information without your consent to obtain services for an uninsured person
  • Attempting to enroll you in an insurance plan without your consent

More tips to protect yourself

Be wary of any free or highly discounted offers. If unsure, contact Humana or your provider to ask if the offer is legitimate.

Learn how you can protect your personal information online.

Where should you report suspected scams?

If you suspect you may have been defrauded, please report these concerns to Humana immediately. Your report can be submitted anonymously; however, it can be helpful to provide your contact information to allow for follow-up or additional questions.

Additional Resources

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

For more information about spotting healthcare fraud, visit Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information, opens new window.

To file a complaint with the FTC, call 877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or visit the FTC Complaint Assistant, opens new window.

Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

For more information about spotting healthcare fraud, visit FBI Health Care Fraud, opens new window.

Sources:

  1. “Health Care Reform: Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Cutting Fraud, Waste, Abuse,” United States Senate Committee on Finance, accessed Sept. 25, 2020, https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/04012010%20Saving%20Taxpayer%20Dollars%20by%20Cutting%20Fraud%20Waste%20Abuse.pdf, PDF opens new window.