As Open Enrollment Nears, Healthcare Robocall Scams on the Rise

As the season for open enrollment nears, so do annoying robocalls promising to offer affordable insurance.

Small to medium size business employees may be particularly vulnerable to these scams, as healthcare coverage is often top-of-mind for staff members. It’s important to remind your employees (and remember for yourself!) that not only are “sales” robocalls illegal, they may actually put you at risk.

How many calls are Americans getting from automated dialers?

About 50 billion annually.

One recent estimate put Texans on the receiving end of over 500 million calls in June of this year.

These scammers are currently the No. 1 complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission. Under federal law, robocalls are not allowed to sell any product or service. Anyone that calls you trying to sell anything is already in violation of the law.

Tricking with tech

Technology has made it easier for scammers. The majority of robocalls are routed through a local number, making it hard to know if it’s your neighbor calling or not. But picking up the phone call also captures data – the robocaller know that it’s a working phone number. Choosing to “opt out” of future phone calls is a scam too — you can never actually “opt out.”

If you do pick up, a chatbot tries to capture even more of your personal information. If you provide any answers, your data will probably soon be available to scammers across the globe. Some calls start with a recorded message: If you respond in any way it will connect you with a sales rep or chatbot. Again, their goal is to get as much personal information or money from you as possible.

How do you know it’s a robocall?

With robocalls on the rise, especially at open enrollment, it’s important to know what to look for:

• Any call coming in from an unrecognized number should be ignored – even from a local area
• In many cases, caller ID will reveal the name of the town the call is originating from, but not a company or personal name. This could be the first sign that it’s a robocall
• If people worry it really is an unknown neighbor or friend, remember, neighbors will leave a message they can return. Robocalls don’t generally leave a message – another clue that the call was automate
• If screening calls, don’t be fooled by the “Choose 1 to opt out of future calls” option. This doesn’t opt you out, it only verifies the call has sourced a valid phone number. This will likely result in even more robocalls

The risk of responding to a robocall

If you do pick up and begin speaking to a “representative,: it will probably be a chatbot.

Today’s technology has made telemarketers obsolete, but calls are even more common common and annoying. Even the most basic data can be valuable, so do not provide anything.

Bots ask for:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Number of household members
• Social Security number

This comes with the promise of connecting you with the best, most affordable insurance coverage.

Most aren’t interested in selling you anything – they’re interested in selling your private information to criminals.

Some bots actually do try to make sales. Recent reports found consumers that buy coverage through robocalls generally purchase substandard insurance that does not meet even the minimum requirements under the ACA. Still others are selling your personal information as leads to insurance brokers – so anticipate more calls coming your way.

In almost every case, tech is capturing data to sell to other robocalling companies. Americans who reveal their date of birth can be vulnerable. Older people are especially interesting to scammers who believe they’re more easily deceived.

Impostors on the rise

One of the newest ways to deceive unsuspecting consumers is through impostor tech scams. The impostor technology shows the name and phone number of a genuine company on caller ID screens. Often these scammers even have personal information that legitimizes they are who they say they are. Actual Social Security Administration and the FBI numbers have been used in these scams.

It’s important to remember how sophisticated these criminals and their technology have  become. Virtually no legitimate company will call and ask you to “verify” your personal data, even if caller ID makes it appear to be an actual number. Hang up quickly and call the company that’s tried to contact you. Tell them what you’ve been asked to reveal – they’ll more than likely verify it’s a scam.

Buyer beware

What should SMBs tell employees when it comes to healthcare coverage robocall scams? Some important rules to remember:

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers
• Don’t answer even to press a number to “opt out” of future calls
• Any caller trying to sell you anything – healthcare insurance included – is violating federal law (robocalls are not allowed to sell goods or services of any kind)
• Don’t answer a call that offers to send you “free’” anything – including medical devices. These scammers ask for Social Security numbers to “file a claim to send you a free device.” This is a scam to get your personal data, including your Social Security number.
• Block calls from unknown numbers on your phone
• Add phone numbers to “Do Not Call” registries, like donotcall.gov
• Search unrecognized phone numbers on the internet – often revealed as scammers
• Do not divulge any personal information over the phone – don’t even verify information the call has about you

For employees who are looking to add healthcare coverage, unsolicited phone calls are not legal and they’re not the way to find available plans.

If staff members need to purchase or change healthcare coverage, either discuss this with employers or go to the ACA website for legitimate providers and carriers in your area. As open enrollment nears, these calls will probably increase. Be aware of these criminal scams and avoid falling into their trap.