Beware of these texts claiming your Medicaid benefits have been canceled
The scam texts are being sent at the same time Medicaid recipients are having to reapply for their benefits for the first time since the pandemic.
Pennsylvania officials are warning residents to be wary of a new text message scam targeting Medicaid recipients at the same time they are reapplying for their benefits for the first time since the pandemic.
“DHS has been communicating with Medicaid recipients for the past year about their renewals, but DHS will never ask for personal information in an unsolicited text message or phone call,” Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh said in a statement. “If someone is claiming to be from or affiliated with the department and they are asking you for your personal information, it is a scam.”
In the case of this latest scam, DHS officials said it begins with a text message from “Health Services,” “Health Solutions,” or “Innovative Partners” stating that the recipient may need to review their plan and prompting them to call a number for more information.
When someone dials that number, a person answers and informs the caller that their Medicaid plan was terminated. In order to renew, the scammer tells them, they must pay hundreds of dollars in additional premiums.
DHS officials ask anyone who has received these messages, or any suspicious calls or texts claiming to be from the department, to report the potential scam to its fraud tip line at 844-347-8477.
Consumers should be aware that DHS would never:
Request payment for a Medicaid application or renewal, except in rare situations
Ask for payment or account information over phone, email, or text message
Communicate from any number other than 833-648-1964, the one used to send informational messages to SNAP or Medicaid recipients
Send or request specific information about a person’s benefits via text message
Link to a website that is not dhs.pa.gov, COMPASS (the benefit portal), or a site that ends in .gov or .org
More than three million Pennsylvanians are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides free or low-cost health coverage to people of all ages who fall under a certain income level.