Barbara McQuade, U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, was among those who spoke.

DEARBORN — The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services hosted a seminar at the Arab American National Museum Tuesday focused on helping prevent the local community from becoming victims of rising Medicare fraud.

Medical identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information including names, social security numbers or Medicare numbers to obtain medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake billings to Medicare in someone else’s name.

Guest speakers included Barbara McQuade, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Dr. James Galloway, acting regional director of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and John T. Hammarlund, regional administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  

McQuade said within the past year and a half lawyers in her office have brought criminal charges against 120 defendants.  The total fraudulent billing amount in those cases is $120 million.

“We think it’s important to protect that money for the Medicare program and not allow it to get into the pockets of criminals,” she said.  McQuade says two individuals sentenced last week were a clinic operator and doctor in Detroit. Both set up a fake clinic for the sole purpose of submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare. They went around homeless shelters and soup kitchens to recruit poor people.

“And imagine these people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or where they’re going to put their head down to sleep that night. But someone gives them $100 if they just give them the number on their red, white and blue Medicare card,” she said. 

“So in exchange for paying $100 to that poor person they’ve got $3,000 back from Medicare. You can see how quickly it can add up to $120 million.”

Detroit’s suffering economy makes it more targetable for criminals from Miami and other parts of the country to come and commit Medicare fraud. People from Dearborn, Troy, Birmingham, Livonia, Detroit and Oak Park have been prosecuted for Medicare fraud. 

According to Amne Talab of ACCESS, Detroit is one of nine cities with a serious Medicare fraud problem. She advised Medicare beneficiaries to never give their card in return for money or to sales people who claim to be Medicare workers.

Hammarlund says the Senior Medicare Patrol Group reached more than a million people with important information about how to prevent fraud. “The more people learn about how to detect fraud and report crimes the more reluctant criminals will be to try them in the first place,” he said.

The group’s message to seniors is to protect their Medicare number, review the Medicare summery notice and know how to stop fraud and report it. The program is being expanded across the country. Michigan recently received $384,000 for recruiting more volunteers to it.

“Today we are here to talk about ways our community and our government can work together to make sure this doesn’t happen,” Dr. Galloway said.

How to protect yourself from becoming a victim of Medicare fraud

The most effective ways to prevent Medicare fraud is checking medical bills, summaries, notices, explanations of benefits and credit reports. During the process Medicare beneficiaries should make sure they weren’t charged for any medical services or equipment they didn’t receive. Additionally, observe whether the dates of services look unfamiliar.

Detecting Medicare fraud is simple. If people are approached in parking lots, shopping centers or other public areas and offered free services, groceries, transportation, or other items in exchange for their Medicare number they should walk away. Fraud experts could make false claims over the phone and ask for Medicare numbers to conduct a health survey. Never supply information to telephone marketers who claim to be from Medicare or Social Security, and ask for payment over the phone or internet.

To protect your personal information guard your Medicare and Social Security numbers. Treat them like your credit cards. Always be suspicious of anyone who offers free medical equipment or services and requests a Medicare number. Most importantly never let anyone borrow or pay to use a Medicare ID card.  Medical identity theft can disrupt lives, damage credit ratings and waste taxpayer dollars. The damage can be life threatening if false information appears on medical records. To report suspected fraud call HHS at 1.800.447-8477 or ACCESS which will report the claim on your behalf. Contact the Medicare Call Center to report questionable charges at 1.800.633.4247.