SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

A Free Public Service

September 26, 2023

CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM SCAM

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

Obtaining health insurance for your family is expensive and can be stressful.

Finding and keeping health insurance for your children can be stressful and expensive. Following the pandemic, your state’s Medicaid Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) may be reaching out to update your family Medicaid enrollments.

Except scammers might try to get to you first. So how can you spot them?

First, while the process to renew may differ from state to state, nobody that is legit will ask for your personal information over the phone or demand that you pay to renew. Medicaid won’t. CHIP won’t. But scammers will.

So, to protect your family from scams:

Remember that CHIP won’t charge you to renew or enroll. CHIP may reach out to you by email, phone, or text messages to renew your coverage — but they won’t ask you to pay. They also won’t ask for your personal financial information, like your bank account or credit card number.

Things you can do:

Don’t click on links in text or email messages, even if it looks like the message is from your state’s Medicaid agency. That’s a scam. Go to Medicaid.gov to find your state’s Medicaid agency. Then contact that agency to get more information.

You can start at HealthCare.gov to compare insurance plans, coverage, and eligibility. The site requires information about your monthly income and age to give you a quote. But if anyone or any site asks for your financial information, like your bank account or credit card number, to get a quote, that’s a scam.

Know that medical discount plans are not medical insurance. Scammers often pitch medical discount plans by convincing people they’re the same as insurance — but they’re not. The crooks often will just take your money for very little or nothing in return.

If you spot a CHIP scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

September 14, 2023

MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (KITV4) — Officials are warning Maui County residents about an uptick in scams targeting DNA sample collection in the aftermath of the devastating Lahaina fire disaster.

Emergency officials issued the warning on Wednesday after they said they received reports from the Family Assistance Center in Kaanapali about some Maui resident who had been called by someone claiming to represent “DNA Services.”

Anyone who receives a DNA related call is advised to hang up immediately and notify the Maui Police Department via the non-emergency line at 808-244-6400.

The Family Assistance Center will not call community members to solicit DNA samples.

Any individual or entity proposing DNA sample collection outside the Family Assistance Center is unauthorized by Maui County and should be regarded was a scam.

Additionally, any requests for payment linked to DNA sample collection are fraudulent and should be reported to Maui Police immediately 808-244-6400.

How you can help those affected by the Maui wildfires

If you would like to submit a DNA sample, go to the Family Assistance Center located at 200 Nohea Kai Dr. in Lahaina. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Officials say the primary objective of the center is to aid immediate family members of individuals reported missing, who can submit DNA samples, the focus remains firmly on wildfire victim and survivor identification.

Those who are off island and would like to submit a DNA sample are asked to contact the FBI at 808-566-4300 or through email at HN-COMMAND-POST@ic.fbi.gov.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

September 10, 2003

HOME IMPROVEMENT SCAMS

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

Americans spend close to $500 billion a year on home improvement. And a chunk of that money, as much as $40 million, ends up in scammers’ pockets.

The home building, remodeling and repair industries are struggling to keep up with demand for their services. This has opened the door for scammers.

Roof repairs and replacements account for a major proportion, around 15 percent, of con tricks, followed by painting and concrete projects. Kitchen renovations also are scam favorites.

Homeowner complaints include:

*unlicensed and unqualified self-proclaimed contractors;

 *do a bad job or no job at all;

* heavily overcharged, and then disappear with your money;

 *Work taking longer than expected;

 * work unexpectedly going over budget;

 *work quality was lower than expected;

*workers showing up late or leaving early,

*uncleared messes, and rude or unprofessional behavior:

*quit before the job is completed;

* not properly insured;

 *High-pressure sales tactics:

 *Upfront payment demands then disappear

 *Bait-and-switch fraudsters quoting an extremely low price then claiming to have run into unforeseen and costly issues.

  *Using or switching to cheap materials;

   *Home improvement loan scams;

Instances of Home Improvement scams can be reported to www.ftc.gov/fraud.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

September 1, 2023

False Identification Scams

FALSE IDENTIFICATION SCAMS

Attribution: Federal Trade Commission

Scammers are at it again, this time pretending to be “Sheriff’s deputies” and threatening to arrest you for missing a court date.

The scam begins with a phone call from someone who says they’re a Sheriff’s deputy. He’ll say you missed a court date where you were supposed to give expert testimony. His tone is urgent, and he says you’ll be arrested unless you pay a fine — in cash or gift cards.

The scammer who called may use the name of a real officer or fake the caller ID to make their story more convincing. But the real officer isn’t calling. It’s a scammer who’s after your money.

To spot the scam, know this:

*Real law enforcement officers will never call to say you’re going to be arrested (or threaten to arrest you if you hang up).

*Real law enforcement officers will never demand that you pay fines by phone.

*Only scammers will call, text, or email demanding that you pay by cash, gift card, cryptocurrency, payment app, or a wire transfer service.

*The government will never do that.

 Don’t pay; don’t give the crook your personal information.

If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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