Scammer targeting Medicaid recipients

LITTLE ROCK — A state agency has received reports of someone posing as an employee of the agency, making unsolicited calls and asking for the credit card information of Arkansans. This is a scam and Arkansans must beware.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services has received at least four reports of a scammer claiming to work for DHS calling Medicaid Savings Program clients.

The caller reportedly asks questions about the client’s insurance then asks for their credit card number to continue their service or offer other special discounts through the Medicaid Savings Program, many times requesting a $500 processing fee.

“Scammers who pose as a representative of a state agency know consumers are more likely to listen,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “Arkansans need to know to keep personal or credit card information private, especially if a person or agency is requesting it during an unsolicited phone call.”

Rutledge offered the following tips for anyone who receives this call or one similar:

• Be cautious if someone asks that a fee be paid through a prepaid credit card or by wiring money. If payments are made, the money may never be seen again. Legitimate organizations will accept standard and traceable forms of payments.

• People who accept these offers become targets of other scammers when their information is shared or sold to others.

• Never provide any financial account information to an unknown person or entity.

• If the call appears to be from a government agency, consider hanging up and calling the agency back on a phone number found on their website.

DHS encourages Arkansans who receive this call to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office, and if there are any questions, DHS can be contacted at 501682-1001.

Arkansans should be mindful that con artists do not follow the law, so they disregard the do-not-call registry. And technological advances allow for Caller ID spoofing, so that scammers can disguise the source of the calls.

For more information and tips to avoid scams and other consumer-related issues, call the Arkansas Attorney General’s office at 800-482-8982, email consumer@arkansasag.gov or visit http://ArkansasAG.gov.