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Any time a new, large-scale program, such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is unveiled, fraudsters and identity thieves may try to take advantage of consumers who may not be familiar with the specifics of the program. Of particular concern is the potential for fraudulent websites designed to obtain consumers' personal information or steal their money.
Reports of suspicious websites, advertisements, telemarketing calls and door-to-door solicitations have turned up since the rollout. Therefore, to protect your personal information and your pocketbooks, keep in mind the following precautions when signing up for an ACA program:
* Stop. Call. Confirm. Protect your social security number, health information and financial information. Before you give out any personal, health, or financial information STOP. CALL the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI). CONFIRM with OCI that the entity is legitimate. If someone discourages you from contacting OCI, or pressures you into giving up private information, you may be dealing with a fraudster. OCI's contact information is:
Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Phone: (608) 266-3585, Madison; (800) 236-8517, statewide;
Website: http://oci.wi.gov
* Verify the legitimacy of websites you visit. Using search engines may lead you to fraudulent websites if you are not careful. A good practice is to type the name of the website you want into your browser window, rather than merely searching for information about the Affordable Care Act. The official, primary site is healthcare.gov. Other federal and state governmental websites provide links to legitimate sites relating to the ACA.
* Keep good records. Keep a record of everyone who assists you, who they work for, and their telephone number, address, email address, and website