If you have diabetes and you get a call from someone offering free glucose meters, diabetic test strips, lancets and other supplies, take note: You are almost certainly talking to a scam artist.
Hang up, says the federal government, which has put out a new fraud alert about such calls. Many of the scammers pose as employees of Medicare or legitimate diabetes groups, says the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Their aim: to get Medicare and social security numbers and other financial information. They may indeed send you supplies -- including some you don't order -- and bill Medicare. Or, as the AARP has reported, they may be in the business of identity theft -- using your information to steal from you or get medical care for someone else in your name.
The calls are just one way criminals are ripping off people with diabetes and the government, The Daily Beast reported this week. Another big money maker: a thriving black market where supplies are cheaper -- but also of questionable quality.
If you get a call from a likely scammer, you can call the government's fraud hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or file a report online at www.OIG.HHS.gov/fraud/hotline.
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