FTC WARNS ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE SCAM

 

The Federal Trade Commission is advising people to hang up on telephone calls that threaten a fine for not having health insurance. The calls direct the recipient to someone who claims to be enforcing the health insurance law and attempts to glean the consumer's full name, birth date, Social Security number and income.  People who work in the Marketplace don’t make cold calls, and they never ask for personal information. If you get a call like this, hang up.

The phone numbers showed up with a local area code. The recorded message sounded urgent: “You need to buy health insurance or face a fine. To learn more, press 1.” A person who works in the Health Insurance Marketplace got the call and knew it was fishy, so she pressed 1. The operator claimed to ‘work with the law,’ and asked for the person’s full name, date of birth, phone number, income information and Social Security number. The person who got the call knew it was nonsense, so she hung up and contacted the FTC.

If you get a recorded sales call, but you didn’t give the caller written permission to call you, the call is illegal. Don’t press 1 to speak to the operator or get your name taken off the list, and don’t give any personal information. If you respond, you’ll probably get more calls.

If you want information about health insurance in your state, visit HealthCare.gov. or contact us here at Affincon.com.  If you get a call like this, please report it to the FTC.