The New York StateWide Senior Action Council (StateWide), a 53-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs and well-being of our State’s more than 3.6 million senior citizens, today announced its Medicare Fraud of the Month for September: Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Scam Seniors’ Health Care and Medicare.
The StateWide Fraud of the Month is a component of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), the definitive resource for New York State’s older adults and caregivers to detect, prevent, and report healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse. StateWide is New York’s grantee/administrator for this Federal Program.
Maria Alvarez, Executive Director StateWide, advises seniors to be wary of potential scams involving Artificial Intelligence. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is technology that allows computers to mimic human thinking, learning from data and creating text, images, or voices that seem real. Artificial intelligence has applications in both the prevention and perpetration of healthcare fraud.”
Alvarez cited several potential scams using Artificial Intelligence:
Prescription Fraud
- AI deepfakes can create fake doctor signatures, videos, or voice messages authorizing prescriptions.
Doctor and Medicare Spoofing Calls
- Scammers use AI voice cloning to sound like real Medicare representatives and ask for your Medicare number.
Durable Medical Equipment Scams
- AI can generate realistic but fake medical documents, lab reports, and imaging results to support false claims.
Telehealth Scams
- Fraudsters create fake telehealth websites with doctor photos, and chat features to steal personal information.
The New York State SMP outlined several ways seniors can protect themselves from AI scams:
Review all Medicare statements
- Check for any charges you didn’t receive or approve of and report anything suspicious right away.
Be Cautious of Unexpected Calls
- Hang up if someone pressures you for your Medicare number or personal details over the phone.
Don’t click on links in unsolicited texts, emails, or pop-up ads.
- Use official websites or trusted phone numbers to verify.
Verify medical providers
- Confirm telehealth appointments and prescriptions directly with a doctor’s office and pharmacist
The NYS Senior Medicare Patrol can help all seniors with questions, concerns or complaints about Nursing Home Fraud, abuse and quality of care issues. Its certified counselors are available to help. Call 800-333-4374.
“We have trained counselors to help educate Medicare beneficiaries in the fight against health care fraud. To report Medicare fraud, errors or abuse you can call our NYS Medicare Fraud Helpline at 800-333-4374 or visit www.nysenior.org,” Alvarez concluded.
StateWide also provides information and educational presentations, assistance regarding any Medicare questions, plan comparisons, appeals, billing issues and patients’ rights to all seniors throughout New York State.
It is estimated that Medicare fraud costs taxpayers over $60 billion dollars nationally per year. To help combat this illicit industry StateWide announced its Fraud of the Month program in 2022 to highlight these scams being perpetrated on the State’s seniors.
