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Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Beware of identity thieves exploiting Obamacare to get personal information

As if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act isn't confusing enough, and perhaps because it is, scam artists are making phone calls to take advantage of it, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The callers claim to be from the federal government and say you've been selected to receive insurance cards through the reform law, but before they can mail the card, they need to collect personal information, such as a credit card, Social Security number or Medicare ID. The callers may seem credible, often possessing personal information such as a bank account number or bank routing number.

The BBB says scam is mostly targeting small business owners, people who are 65 and older (who are covered by Medicare already) and those who have disabilities. If someone gets such a call, they should immediately hang up, the BBB says. Don't press any buttons and don't return voice mails. The government usually communicates through the mail, but if a government representative calls, he or she should already have all the necessary personal information. (Read more)

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