Tips for Avoiding Coronavirus Scams

LINCOLN- Medicare officials are warning people that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect petri dish for a wide array of scams, including Medicare fraud.

Devorah Lanner with A-A-R-P Nebraska says people should be extremely skeptical if anyone offers to send a coronavirus test, masks or other items in exchange for your Medicare number, money or personal information…

Lanner says people should only hand over their Medicare number to participating pharmacists, primary and specialty care doctors, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf. She adds Medicare will never call or email to ask for your Medicare number.

Lanner says Nebraskans should avoid offers to replace their home air ducts to prevent infection, and to research any nonprofit group before making a donation. After Congress passed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security” or CARES Act, designed in part to send financial assistance to most U-S families, Lanner is also expecting a new twist in government impostor scams…

Lanner notes there is currently no vaccine or approved treatment for COVID-19, so she advises not to purchase any product that touts a cure. For the latest information on the coronavirus, she suggests visiting ‘cdc.gov.’