Offers free medical tests or gear
Free genetic test and medical fraud
Is an offer of a free genetic test, brace or hospice care for Medicare a scam?
Often yes. They use your Medicare number to bill for things you do not need. Only accept care from your own doctor and check your Medicare statements.
Almost always fake. Stop, then check by calling a number you already have.
Also searched as: free genetic test, DNA test, cancer screening, free back brace, knee brace, hospice, Medicare billing
Draft: we're still checking this page. The quotes below are word for word from their sources.
What to do
On the phone right now?
- Stop. Hang up or close the message. Don't tap anything.
- Check. Call a number you already have, like the one on your card or bill.
- Talk to someone you trust before you pay anyone.
If anyone is in danger right now, call 911.
If you already paid
- Call the company you paid through right away: your bank, card company, gift card company, or the wire or Zelle service. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Call the Justice Department's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If it happened online, report it at IC3.gov too.
General information, not legal or financial advice. If you've lost money, contact your bank and report it.
How it works
1 They reach you by
- Phone call
- In person
- Video call
- Website
- Social media
- Letter or postcard
2 They pretend to be
- Medicare or health
3 They ask for
- Personal details
- Something else
What it can look like
Example pattern, not a real message
Offers free medical tests or gear. What gives it away:
- Give your ID numbers
What they may say
“at no cost to you”
“Medicare will cover a free knee brace and just needs the Medicare number to confirm it”
Warning signs
- They contacted you, then ask for your Social Security, Medicare or bank numbers.
Why we say this
Fugitive Fraudster Herb Kimble Sentenced to 20 Years for International Healthcare Fraud Scheme
A federal court sentenced Herbert Leon Kimble to 20 years over a brace scheme that billed Medicare for orthotic braces seniors never asked for. The article explains that the scheme recruited beneficiaries through call centers and ads, and it urges families to check Medicare statements for unfamiliar charges.
Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, of Chicago, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison
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His operation recruited vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries through deceptive advertising and then sold their information with signed doctors' orders to DME companies
The medical professionals involved rarely conducted real consultations and simply signed preselected brace orders to maximize Medicare reimbursement.
Emerging Hospice Fraud Targeting Medicare Recipients
Some scammers sign Medicare patients up for hospice care they don't need, or sign them up without telling them. Some go door to door and offer free home help, like cleaning or meals, if you use their hospice.
Some scammers use door-to-door solicitation tactics and offer free home services such as house cleaning and meal delivery, which are conditional on using a specific hospice.
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Never give out Medicare or other insurance information to anyone who is not your doctor.
Never accept incentives like gift cards or money in return for hospice services and be wary of too good to be true offers.
Always review your explanation of benefits statements and Medicare Summary Notices for unknown providers and services
Genetic Testing Fraud
Scammers offer "free" cheek-swab genetic tests to people on Medicare. They use the swab to get your Medicare number. Then they bill Medicare for tests you did not need. They may ask at health fairs, senior centers, churches or by phone.
Scammers are offering Medicare beneficiaries cheek swabs for genetic testing to obtain their Medicare information for fraudulent billing purposes or possibly medical identity theft.
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A company offers you “free” or “at no cost to you” testing without a treating physician’s order and then bills Medicare
A company uses “telemedicine” to offer testing to you over the phone and arranges for an unrelated physician or “teledoc” to order the test
Charges (usually thousands of dollars) for a broad range of genetic tests that you did not request or possibly even receive
A company requests your Medicare number (or possibly driver’s license) at health fairs, senior centers, assisted living facilities, malls, farmers markets, parking lots outside retail stores, home shows, or church-sponsored wellness events
A company calls you stating your doctor or cardiologist requested that you have the testing done, and they will send you a testing kit
Medical Identity Theft
If a scammer gets your Medicare number, they can use it to get care or supplies and bill Medicare. This can also put wrong health facts in your records. The page lists signs that your number may have been misused.
Medical identity (ID) theft occurs when someone steals personal information – such as a beneficiary’s name and Medicare number – and uses the information to get medical treatment, medical equipment, prescription drugs, surgery, or other services and then bills insurance (such as Medicare) for it.
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Over the phone or internet to someone offering durable medical equipment, genetic testing, COVID-19 testing/supplies, back braces, etc.
At a fair or other gathering as a check-in or to receive free services
In response to a television or radio commercial, Facebook ad, postcard, or print ad requesting a Medicare number
You see on your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) charges for medical services or equipment that you did not receive
You received boxes of braces, testing kits, or other medical supplies in the mail that you did not request
Telehealth Fraud
Scammers use phone or video "telehealth" to steal from people on Medicare. A caller asks about pain or family cancer history. They then try to push you into a brace or genetic test you do not need. The page also tells family members what to watch for.
Criminals are using telehealth services to steal from beneficiaries and the Medicare program.
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You receive a call and are asked if you have pain or if you have a family history of cancer. They could be trying to approve you for a back brace, knee brace, or genetic testing that you do not need or want.
You are transferred by phone to someone who can “get you approved.”
You are asked or pressured to agree to a test or procedure that would require an in-person visit.
Your loved one receives a call from someone they don’t know who pressures them to reveal personal information
Charges on your loved one’s insurance statements for appointments that never happened or from providers they don’t know
Fraud Alert: Nationwide Brace Scam
A caller offers a free knee brace covered by Medicare and asks the victim to read out her Medicare number. The stolen number is then used to bill Medicare for equipment that is never delivered, and the fake claims can later block real care.
Scammers are offering Medicare beneficiaries orthotic braces that are supposedly free to them and covered by Medicare.
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Medicare is then billed for each brace using the beneficiary's information.
If a beneficiary has received unwanted or unneeded braces, and that equipment is billed to Medicare, then Medicare may deny a brace that the beneficiary needs in the future.
Be suspicious of anyone who offers you free medical equipment and then requests your Medicare number.
At 72 She'll Read Her Medicare Number to a Caller Offering a Free Knee Brace. Then the Fake Bills Start Showing Up
A caller offers a free knee brace covered by Medicare and asks the victim to read out her Medicare number. The stolen number is then used to bill Medicare for equipment that is never delivered, and the fake claims can later block real care.
The caller is warm and patient, and she says Medicare will cover a free knee brace and just needs the Medicare number to confirm it.
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Her doctor and pharmacy need it. A stranger offering a free brace doesn't.
Medicare already has her number, and generally won't call unexpectedly to ask for it.
If a caller says they're from Medicare, she can hang up and dial 1-800-MEDICARE herself.
Red flags include a supplier she doesn't recognize, equipment she never got, or a box she never asked for.
BBB: New scam targeting trusted patient health portal
Scammers are sending emails and texts that pretend to come from the MyChart patient portal and promise a free Medicare kit. The messages try to collect payment card details, MyChart logins, or verification codes.
The new scam uses email and texts to target seniors with the promise of a free “Medicare kit.”
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One version directs consumers to a survey where they are eventually asked for financial information to cover the supposed cost of shipping the free first-aid and medical supply kit.
Don’t assume a message is legitimate simply because it contains the MyChart logo. Scammers can copy logos and other graphics from legitimate websites.
Also avoid clicking an “unsubscribe” button in a suspicious message. Several health systems warn that the unsubscribe link itself may be malicious.
If you receive an unexpected MyChart message, don’t use the link contained in the email or text. Open the MyChart app you normally use or go directly to your healthcare provider’s known website.
Medicare fraud fugitive gets 20 years after seniors were targeted with unwanted braces—here's how to check your statements
A federal court sentenced Herbert Leon Kimble to 20 years over a brace scheme that billed Medicare for orthotic braces seniors never asked for. The article explains that the scheme recruited beneficiaries through call centers and ads, and it urges families to check Medicare statements for unfamiliar charges.
Once a person confirms personal or Medicare information, braces may arrive whether or not they were requested, sometimes several at once.
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Hang up on callers offering free braces or equipment billed to Medicare, and do not share a Medicare number with anyone except a trusted doctor's office or pharmacy.
Equipment that arrives unrequested can be refused or returned, with the sender's name and return date written down.
Compare each line with receipts and appointment records, and look for braces, equipment, tests, or telehealth visits that no one remembers ordering.