Watch out for scammers posing as insurance agents
The Minnesota Commerce Department is warning Minnesotans of an insurance fraud scam involving individuals posing as representatives of Premier Health Plan, which earlier this year discontinued all of its health insurance products in Minnesota and nationwide, including Medicare Advantage plans.
Consumers from across the country are receiving numerous automated calls pretending to sell Premier Health Plan insurance. As part of the phone scam, consumers who receive an automated call and express interest in buying health insurance are routed to a person who asks for their bank account information.
Some consumers have also received “premium” invoices in the mail or found unauthorized charges on their bank accounts. The fraudulent bills appear to be on Premier Health Plan letterhead, while the unauthorized charges on bank account statements show up as “Premier Health.”
To avoid being the victim of an insurance fraud scam, the Minnesota Commerce Department offers these tips:
If you receive an automated call, don’t say anything and hang up. Don’t answer calls from an unknown number or pay an invoice from a company you don’t have an insurance policy with.
Never give personal or financial information to someone you don’t know over the phone.
Regularly review your bank account and credit card statements and report unauthorized charges to your financial institution.
If you answered a call that you believe was a scam, write the number down and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or ftc.gov/complaint.
If you have been contacted about buying Premier Health Plan insurance or any other suspicious insurance offers, contact the Commerce Department’s Consumer Services Center by email at consumer.protection@state.mn.us or by phone at 651-539-1600 or 800-657-3602 (Greater Minnesota).
–Information provided by the Minnesota Department of Commerce
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.