CMS Issues Scam Alert – Fake Medicare Faxes Sent to Providers

On June 18, 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Scam Alert warning of a new scam targeting Medicare providers. CMS identified a new scam where perpetrators send faxes to physician offices posing as the Medicare carrier or Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). The fax instructs physician or administrative staff to respond to a questionnaire to provide an account information update within 48 hours in order to prevent a gap in Medicare payments. The fax may include an official looking CMS logo and/or the contractor logo to make it look more authentic.

All Medicare fee for service providers, including physicians, non-physician practitioners, hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities, should be wary of this type of request. If you receive a request for information in the manner described above, please check directly with your contractor before submitting any information. Medicare providers should only send information to a Medicare contractor using the address found in the download section of the CMS.gov website found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo/ or http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.