The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a warning to physicians and other health care providers about a group that is calling themselves Medicare Fraud Investigators and/or Medicare employees representing the claims and audit units, or the enrollment department of CMS in order to try to get providers to submit identity information to the caller so that this information can be used to change telephone numbers, addresses, pay-to addresses and to falsify enrollment data.
A caller from one of these groups will tell the physicians/providers or their staff that Medicare’s computer system has malfunctioned and they are calling to update lost or corrupt information. The caller will then ask for the physician/provider to submit the data via phone or fax. Some of the information they may ask for follows:
Copy of Provider's Drivers License; Copy of Provider's Social Security Number (SSN); Unique Provider Identification Number
(UPIN); Verification of education; Verification of Provider Location; Copy of Provider's Medical License; Copy of
Provider's Charts for a specific period of time.
Once the information is received, the groups falsify enrollment data using the provider's name and request a change to their practice locations, telephone numbers, and pay-to-addresses.
Please be advised that if you receive such a call, that CMS has not suffered any computer system malfunction, and are not calling providers requesting the above information. Physicians are advised to contact their Medicare carrier if they receive such a call or suspect fraud.
If you should receive such a call, please try to verify the telephone number of the caller, and immediately notify your Medicare carrier that you suspect fraud.