FBI; CMS Issue Warning About Fraud and Phishing Attempts on Healthcare Orgs
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued warnings to the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector about ongoing fraud schemes.
On Thursday last week, the CMS warned Medicare providers and their suppliers that scammers are impersonating the CMS in phishing requests by fax, requesting copies of medical records and documentation. The phishing attempts claim that medical records and documentation must be provided for a Medicare audit. In the fraud alert, the CMS reminded Medicare providers and their suppliers that the CMS never initiates audits with a request for medical records via fax. If in any doubt about the authenticity of any request claiming to be from the CMS, providers should contact their Medicare Review Coordinator for confirmation that the request is genuine. Any Medicare provider that outsources medical record requests to a third-party vendor should warn their vendor about the fraud scheme.
On Friday last week, the FBI and IC3 issued a warning to the HPH sector about a phishing and smishing scheme targeting healthcare providers and their patients. The FBI has observed criminals impersonating legitimate health insurers and their investigative team members. Phishing attempts are sent via email and SMS messages designed to trick individuals into disclosing protected health information, medical records, and personal financial information. In some cases, criminals are requesting reimbursements for alleged service overpayments or non-covered services.
The feds remind patients and healthcare providers to be suspicious of any unsolicited message requesting personal information, including emails, text messages, phone calls, and other communications, and to never click a link in a message in any suspicious communication. Strong passwords should be set for all accounts, and multi-factor authentication should be enabled. If in any doubt about the legitimacy of any communication, contact the entity concerned for clarification, using previously confirmed contact information, and never any contact information provided in the suspicious communication.
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