Beware of national identity theft scam involving calls requesting personal financial information.
Some Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas members who have purchased health plans through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace or Medicare may have fallen victim to a national identity theft scam. As part of the scam, the thieves call individuals and pose as someone from either the Marketplace, Medicare or a health insurer to collect banking or credit card information for premium payments.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas will never call a member to ask for his or her bank account or credit card information. We only collect this information when a member calls us directly to make a payment, a spokesperson said, and we first verify that person’s identity. Likewise, the federal Marketplace and Medicare do not make calls to collect premium payments.
If you are called by someone requesting your bank account or credit card information, do NOT give them any banking or credit card information or your Social Security number — not even a couple of numbers. Simply hang up, and then report your experience at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
If you believe that you have given your personal financial record to a scammer, please contact your local police department to file a report, check with your financial institution for any unauthorized activity, and check in with a credit bureau to monitor your credit for any suspicious activity.
Date: February 2, 2016