Justice Department Advice About Frauds Targeting Seniors: Identity Theft, Medicare/Medicaid, Lottery/Sweepstakes Fraud, and More
Editor's Note: We received a telephone call this morning supposedly from our grandson reporting that he had had a car accident injuring a woman that would incur medical expenses connected to his driving. This was followed by another call reportedly by a lawyer representing that same woman. Given this personal experience, we thought a Justice Department rundown of similar cases might be helpful just in case you experience the same type of fraud. Being an older grandparent and senior makes one, presumably, more susceptible to these kinds of fraud.
REPORT FRAUD
If you are in need of legal advice, please contact your local bar association at www.findlegalhelp.org. The Fraud Section conducts criminal prosecutions and cannot provide legal advice to citizens.
If you would like to report fraud, please contact the appropriate investigative agency as follows:
Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft
Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP, 1-877-ID-THEFT, or online at https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov/#/?orgcode=TFMICF.
Disaster-Related Fraud
Contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721, by fax at (225) 334-4707 or submit a complaint through the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
Correspondence may be sent to:
National Center for Disaster Fraud
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909
General Fraud and Other Criminal Matters
Contact the FBI at (202) 324-3000, or online at www.fbi.gov or tips.fbi.gov.
Health Care Fraud, Medicare/Medicaid Fraud, and Related Matters
Contact the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS, or online at www.oig.hhs.gov.
Internet Fraud and Lottery/Sweepstakes Fraud by Internet
Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) online at www.ic3.gov.
Mail Fraud and Lottery/Sweepstakes Fraud
Contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-800-372-8347, or online at postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
Securities Fraud
Contact the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330, or online at www.sec.gov or www.sec.gov/complaint/select.shtml.
State and Local Fraud
Contact your local Police Department or State Attorney General's Office.