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(Lincoln, NE) -- The Nebraska Department of Insurance is warning about Medicare Insurance Scammers claiming to be from the Nebraska State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), a division of the Nebraska Department of Insurance (NDOI).
The NDOI wants to remind Nebraskans that it does not sell Medicare insurance and will never contact you asking for personal or payment information.
“We know that scammers are taking advantage of our phone number to trick Nebraskans into thinking they’re getting legitimate offers about Medicare,” said Eric Dunning, Director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance. “If you get a call offering Medicare insurance, it’s likely a scam. We urge consumers to stay alert and take action to protect themselves.”
The scam reportedly involves a "spoofing" of the department's local Lincoln office phone number, (402) 471-2841. Scammers claim to be offering Medicare insurance, usually asking the caller to provide details or make payments for coverage. They may also ask for personal information such as bank account information.
While the department will make calls place out of the office with that phone number, Nebraska SHIP and SMP does not sell insurance or endorse or promote insurance companies, products, or individuals.
If you receive a call from this number and believe the call is trying to sell you insurance, hang up immediately.
Additional tips:
• Don't answer calls from numbers you don't know or recognize
• Never give out personal or financial information to people cold calling you even if they know information about you
• Medicare or any other government agency will not call unless you contact them first
• Medicare or any other government agency will not email, text, or message you on social media to sell you anything
Who to Contact:
If you spot a government impersonation scam, you should report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov or contact the state attorney general's office at (402) 471-2683 or at the office's website. If you provided Medicare information to one of these scam callers, you should report it to the Nebraska SHIP and SMP office at (1-800) 234-7119. The SMP serves to empower and assist people with Medicare to prevent health care fraud, errors, and abuse.