Community Corner

5 Ways to Avoid Falling to Obamacare Scams

Better Business Bureau warns against scammers out to steal personal information.

By Kelly Twedell

According to a post by the Better Business Bureau, consumers across the country are receiving calls from people claiming to represent the government. The purpose of the call is to discuss Obamacare health insurance cards.

The scam, the BBB advised, works like this: "You receive a call from someone claiming to be from the federal government. The caller informs you that you’ve been selected as part of the initial group of Americans to receive insurance cards through the new Affordable Care Act. However, before the caller can mail your card, they need to verify personal information, such as your bank account and Social Security numbers."

The BBB urges consumers to ignore these pitches and use the following precautions:

  1. Be cautious with your identity. Never give personal information to someone who has contacted you unsolicited, whether by phone, email, social media or in person.
  2. Hang up, don’t press any buttons and don’t call back.  Returning the phone call may just give the con artist information he can use.
  3. The government uses regular mail.  Government agencies normally communicate through the mail, so be cautious of calls, text messages or emails.
  4. Don’t trust caller ID. Scammers have technology that lets them display any number or organization name on your screen.
  5. Keep your personal information to yourself. Never give out personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, date of birth or Social Security numbers to unfamiliar callers.
Read more here.


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