Physicians being targeted in identity theft scheme

The OIG says scammers are getting the information so they can file false claims with Medicare.

By Katherine Vogt, AMNews staff. Jan. 31, 2005.

Scam artists posing as Medicare and insurance officials have been targeting minority and immigrant physicians and demanding sensitive identity information, federal authorities have warned.

The Office of the Inspector General for the Dept. of Health and Human Services is investigating the scam and has issued a nationwide advisory about it to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services carriers, said OIG spokeswoman Judy Holtz.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Holtz declined to say where the scam had been carried out or how many physicians had been targeted. But she said the scammed doctors numbered "more than a handful," and she cautioned that the scheme could become more widespread.

Holtz said people had been telephoning physicians and representing themselves as either a Medicare fraud investigator, an employee of a major insurance company, or a Medicare audit or claims employee. Then the callers tell the physician or office staffer that the Medicare computer system has had a malfunction and they need to update lost information.

The callers seek several pieces of information, including the physician's driver's license number, Social Security number, universal professional identification number, educational background and date of birth. They also might ask for a copy of the physician's medical license and patient charts.