The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Wisconsin Physicians Insurance Corporation have announced that 946,801 current Medicare recipients are being notified that their personal information may have been exposed during the MOVEit security incident that occurred in 2023. According to CMS, “a vulnerability in the MOVEit software made it possible, between May
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Medicare Beneficiary Cards of 220,000 Individuals Compromised
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has announced that approximately 220,000 Medicare beneficiaries’ card numbers have been compromised “by an unknown person or organization.” That means CMS doesn’t know who or how the cards were compromised.
Although CMS says it is working to “remedy the situation,” in the meantime, it is checking billing systems…
Privacy Tip #210 – HHS Office of Inspector General Issues Fraud Alert for Genetic Testing Scam Targeting Seniors
Everyone knows how I feel about those home genetic testing kits—most people don’t understand that when they send their DNA to a private company that it is not protected by HIPAA or any other law, and the company can legally use and disclose it, including selling it to other companies. Understand what companies are doing…
OIG Issues Alert to Warn of ‘Free’ Genetic Testing Scams Seeking to Steal Information
By Conor Duffy on
On June 3, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a fraud alert to notify consumers about genetic testing fraud schemes (the Alert). According to the OIG, fraudulent actors are using the provision of free genetic testing kits to obtain Medicare information from unwitting consumers, and…
Privacy Tip #129 – As New Medicare Cards are Issued: Beware of Scams
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
This writer has been lamenting for years about the fact that Medicare recipients’ Social Security numbers are included on the face of the card. This is an unnecessary risk posed to Medicare recipients, which are primarily senior citizens, some of our most vulnerable citizens, who are already preyed upon by scammers.
Medicare has recognized the…
Privacy Tip #92 – Finally, HHS Is Removing SSNs from Medicare Cards
For those of you who know me, you know that I have been very frustrated with the federal and state governments for continuing to use Social Security numbers for eligibility, enrollment and participating in Medicare and Medicaid. This includes listing individuals’ Social Security numbers on the Medicare and Medicaid cards.
The good news is that…