Susana Martinez, Governor
Gino Rinaldi, Secretary-Designate
Myles Copeland, Deputy Secretary
Important Telephone Numbers & Websites To Use
To Report Health Care/ Consumer Fraud And Scams In New Mexico
New Mexico Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) http://www.nmaging.state.nm.us/Resource_Center.html
1-800-432-2080
New Mexico Attorney General http://www.nmag.gov/articles/scamalerts.aspx
1-800-678-1508
New Mexico Medicaid Fraud Control Unit http://www.nmag.gov/office/Divisions/MF/Default.aspx
New Mexico AG's Consumer Protection Division http://nmag.gov/office/Divisions/CP/complaint.aspx
Report potential scams to email communications@nmag.gov
1-800-678-1508
1-800-678-1508
New Mexico Department of Health 1-800-752-8649
Statewide licensed facilities – Incident Management System- to report ONLY Abuse, Neglect &
Exploitation Or email: incident.management@state.nm.us
or online http://dhi.health.state.nm.us/imb/imb_inform.php
New Mexico Securities Division 1-800-704-5533
For investors to find out whether an individual is licensed financial professional and if that individual has been subject to disciplinary action
United States Office of Inspector General (OIG) http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/ Report fraud to
1-800-HHS-TIPS
HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
Report consumer fraud using their online complaint form. Filing a complaint helps them detect patterns of wrong-doing, and leads to investigations and prosecutions. The FTC enters all complaints it receives into their Consumer Sentinel , a secure online database used by thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide. Online home page, the “Complaint Assistant” link: www.ftc.gov
National Do Not Call Registry 1-888-382-1222
Register online: www.donotcall.gov
The National Do Not Call Registry , which is managed by the FTC, is a free service that gives consumers the choice to avoid receiving telemarketing calls. Most telemarketers should not call numbers that have been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, a complaint should be filed with the registry. The registry does not cover calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, or companies with which a consumer has an existing business relationship.
Partners in Lifelong Independence and Healthy Aging
Toney Anaya Building • PO Box 27118, Santa Fe, NM 87502 2550 • Cerrillos Road • Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-476-4799 • Toll-free 1-866-451-2901 • www.nmaging.state.nm.us
Medical Discount Plans
To help you determine the legitimacy of an offer, visit the FTC website’s online fact sheet: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/medicaldiscountscams/index.shtm
Medical Discount Plans: According to the FTC, what sounds like affordable health insurance may be a medical discount plan instead. Medical discount plans can be a way for some people to save money on their health care costs, but discount plans aren’t health insurance. Some medical discount plans provide legitimate discounts; others take peoples’ money and offer very little in return. Many plans don’t include local providers or give you outdated lists of names and facilities. Some offers are just plain scams.
Identity Theft 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)
1.
File a complaint with the police.
2.
File a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/filing-a-report.html
3.
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review them :
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) , a partnership between multiple law enforcement entities and operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has a website that provides a wealth of information about Internet Crime Schemes. Some examples most of us are familiar with include e-mail spam, the Nigerian Letter, and “you have won the lottery” e-mails. For more information about common internet schemes, Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes, and to report incidents of internet crime, visit the Internet Crime Complain Center’s website: www.ic3.gov
Western Union Fraud Hotline www.westernunion.com/stopfraud
How consumers can help protect themselves from scammers:
1-800-448-1492
1.
Do not wire money to anyone unless you are absolutely sure it is someone you know and trust. Once wired funds are picked up, there is very little law enforcement can do to retrieve the money.
2. Unless you made the contact, do not give out your personal information.
3. Do not send a check, cash, or money order to anyone insisting upfront immediate payment before a service is rendered and never give out your account information.
4. When selling anything online, beware of anyone who wants to overpay and asks you to reimburse the difference.