Beware of cons during open enrollment

Open enrollment is the time of year when people can enroll in a health insurance plan for the following year. The periods are different for different providers like Medicare.gov, Healthcare.gov, and individual employers − but the thing they all have in common is that scammers will try to confuse and mislead victims focused on selecting their plans.

How the scam works

BBB is seeing a convincing new phishing scam pretending to be an email from your employer. The message claims you need to review and approve your employment benefits policy during open enrollment. All you have to do is download a form or click a link to read the details. However, if you do so, you may be asked to share personal information, or you could even download malware onto your computer. Business email compromise scams like this have become increasingly common and sophisticated.

That's not the only way con artists are taking advantage of open enrollment season. BBB Scam Tracker has gotten many reports about scammers claiming to be a government representative who can help you navigate your Medicare or Affordable Care Act options. Scammers claim to be a "health care benefits advocate" or a similar title. These scammers allege they can enroll you in a better program than what you currently have. This new plan is cheaper, and you can keep all the same services. To get started, all you need to do is provide some personal information, such as your Medicare ID number. Of course, the call is a scam, and sharing personal information will open you up to identity theft.

In yet another common scam, callers try to frighten – rather than assist − victims with their health care plans. In one common scenario, scammers claim that your Medicare will be discontinued if you didn't re-enroll. Fortunately, this "Medicare advisor" can fix the situation – if you share personal information with them.

Tips to avoid open enrollment scams

Selecting a health insurance plan can be challenging and complex. Be on the lookout for common red flags.

• Be wary of anyone who contacts you unsolicited. Healthcare.gov and Medicare do provide legitimate help with figuring out which plan is right for you. These people − sometimes called Navigators or Assisters − are not allowed to

charge for their help. If someone asks you for payment, it's a scam. You will also need to contact them. They will not call you out-of-the-blue.

• Be wary of free gifts and "health screenings." Keep a healthy level of skepticism any time a broker offers you free gifts or other special deals. Never sign up with a broker who offers you an expensive sign-up gift in exchange for

providing your Medicare ID number or other personally identifiable information. Other times, brokers offer free "health screenings" to weed out people who are less healthy. This is called "cherry picking" and is against the Medicare rules.

• Guard your government-issued numbers. Never offer your Medicare ID number, Social Security number, health plan information, or banking information to anyone you don't know.

• Go directly to official websites. If you want to make changes to your health care plan, go directly to Medicare.gov, Healthcare.gov, or your employer's health insurance provider. Don't click on links in suspicious messages.

• Contact your employer directly. If you receive an unexpected email about benefits policies, ask your employer about it before you click on anything to make sure it's legitimate.

For more information:

If you are unsure whether a call or offer is from Medicare, or you gave your personal information to someone claiming to be with Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it. If you suspect fraud when signing up for ACA coverage, go to HealthCare.gov or call the Health Insurance Marketplace call center at 800-318-2596.

Get more tips from BBB on avoiding health care scams. If you've been the victim of a scam, please report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker.

By sharing your experience, you can help others avoid falling victim to similar scams.

Rick Walz is the President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Northern Indiana, which serves 23 counties. Contact the BBB at 800-552-4631 or visit www.bbb.org.

Consumer Advocate

Rick Walz

Guest columnist