WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scam artists are preying on older people's fears by peddling fake tests for the coronavirus to Medicare recipients, a federal law enforcement agency warned on Monday.
The Health and Human Services inspector general's office said it's seeing marketing schemes rapidly pivot to offering tests for COVID-19 and “Senior Care Packages” with hand sanitizer or even tout a vaccine, which doesn't exist.
Some marketers falsely claim that President Donald Trump has ordered that seniors get tested. It's all a trick to get personal information that can be used to bill federal and state health programs, said Christian Schrank, assistant inspector general for investigations. “It's a straight-up ruse to get your Medicare number or your