The summer is here and that means it's time to crank your air! But it's also the time of year that keeps air conditioning repairmen busy.
Our Call for Action volunteers are getting a lot of calls and e-mails about people getting ripped off on their repair bill. Some tips to remember when it comes to hiring anybody to fix your air conditioning unit:
--Don't pay up front. Make sure the work is done and it's done well, first.
--Is the company or contractor licensed in Florida?
--Do your research! Get more than one estimate before going through with the work. Two to 3 different companies may give you a better idea of what is really a fair price to pay.
Following these simple steps may help you from burning up after seeing a bill for cooling down your house!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Targeting health care fraud
The FBI is combating health care fraud. Some of the big scams out there right now are involving home health care, infusion therapy (when treatment is inserted directly into blood, muscle or the spinal cord), and double medical equipment billing.
Another big scam the agents are targeting: off-label marketing of prescription drugs. The practice involves a drug maker promoting their product for other uses not approved by the FDA and sometimes in larger doses than the FDA allows. This act is not only illegal but also potentially harmful to consumers.
The FBI warns that as the cost of health care expands ($2.26 trillion by 2016), so does the opportunity for fraud. The FBI teams up with other federal agencies like the FDA, the DEA and the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, or "HEAT"-- which is part of the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services, to combat the issue. HEAT looks for possible fraudulent activity in billing patterns by health care providers.
What the FBI has to say about health care fraud:
* Health care fraud schemes come in all forms-fraudulent billings, medically unnecessary services or prescriptions, kickbacks, duplicate claims, etc.
* Schemes target large health care programs-both public and private-as well as health care beneficiaries. (Medicare and the Medicaid are the largest programs, so they are targeted more often.)
* Schemes are committed by health care providers, owners of medical facilities and laboratories, suppliers of medical equipment, organized crime groups, corporations, and even sometimes by the beneficiaries themselves.
* FBI health care fraud cases sometimes cross over into other investigative areas, like organized crime, gangs, and cyber crime, where we see criminals beginning to use the proceeds from health care fraud schemes to fund their operations.
Tips to help avoid being victimized:
* Protect your health insurance information card like a credit card.
* Beware of free health services-are they too good to be true?
* Review your medical bills, like your "explanation of benefits," after receiving health care services and ensure the dates are services are correct.
And if you suspect health care fraud, contact your local FBI office.
Another big scam the agents are targeting: off-label marketing of prescription drugs. The practice involves a drug maker promoting their product for other uses not approved by the FDA and sometimes in larger doses than the FDA allows. This act is not only illegal but also potentially harmful to consumers.
The FBI warns that as the cost of health care expands ($2.26 trillion by 2016), so does the opportunity for fraud. The FBI teams up with other federal agencies like the FDA, the DEA and the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, or "HEAT"-- which is part of the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services, to combat the issue. HEAT looks for possible fraudulent activity in billing patterns by health care providers.
What the FBI has to say about health care fraud:
* Health care fraud schemes come in all forms-fraudulent billings, medically unnecessary services or prescriptions, kickbacks, duplicate claims, etc.
* Schemes target large health care programs-both public and private-as well as health care beneficiaries. (Medicare and the Medicaid are the largest programs, so they are targeted more often.)
* Schemes are committed by health care providers, owners of medical facilities and laboratories, suppliers of medical equipment, organized crime groups, corporations, and even sometimes by the beneficiaries themselves.
* FBI health care fraud cases sometimes cross over into other investigative areas, like organized crime, gangs, and cyber crime, where we see criminals beginning to use the proceeds from health care fraud schemes to fund their operations.
Tips to help avoid being victimized:
* Protect your health insurance information card like a credit card.
* Beware of free health services-are they too good to be true?
* Review your medical bills, like your "explanation of benefits," after receiving health care services and ensure the dates are services are correct.
And if you suspect health care fraud, contact your local FBI office.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Scammers getting smarter!
Call for Action uncovers a brand new scam and another twist on an older scam.
The first scam is so new that WINK news was the first to show it to one expert. The person who e-mailed us at the station claims that she is an American citizen who got ripped off in a Nigerian Scam. She claims that she figured out a way to get her money back and can help you get your money back too. All you have to do is e-mail her.
There are a number of red flags with the e-mail. Tune into WINK News at 5pm to learn what those are.
The second scam involves renters. The criminal uses information open to the public to fool people looking for a home. Here's how it works:
The scammers go to a property appraiser's website and picks out a home. He or she can find pictures of the home on the website, the owner's name, the home's address and other information about the building. The criminal then posts that information on a rental site. Someone interested in renting the home then contacts the criminal. Because the criminal is posing as the real homeowner, and is using real information, it looks legit to the potential victim.
Call for Action Chief Investigator Melissa Yeager will have more tips on how to recognize both of these scams and how to avoid becoming a victim on WINK News at 5pm. If you missed the report, you can always watch it again online under the "Features" section. Just click on "Call for Action."
Both of the e-mails we talk about are attached for you to look at.
Click here to view
The first scam is so new that WINK news was the first to show it to one expert. The person who e-mailed us at the station claims that she is an American citizen who got ripped off in a Nigerian Scam. She claims that she figured out a way to get her money back and can help you get your money back too. All you have to do is e-mail her.
There are a number of red flags with the e-mail. Tune into WINK News at 5pm to learn what those are.
The second scam involves renters. The criminal uses information open to the public to fool people looking for a home. Here's how it works:
The scammers go to a property appraiser's website and picks out a home. He or she can find pictures of the home on the website, the owner's name, the home's address and other information about the building. The criminal then posts that information on a rental site. Someone interested in renting the home then contacts the criminal. Because the criminal is posing as the real homeowner, and is using real information, it looks legit to the potential victim.
Call for Action Chief Investigator Melissa Yeager will have more tips on how to recognize both of these scams and how to avoid becoming a victim on WINK News at 5pm. If you missed the report, you can always watch it again online under the "Features" section. Just click on "Call for Action."
Both of the e-mails we talk about are attached for you to look at.
Click here to view
Prisoners and tax credits...and a new scam
Jen Stacy showed me this story that just crossed the AP wire:
Nearly 1,300 prison inmates wrongly received more than $9 million in tax credits for homebuyers despite being locked up when they claimed they bought a home, a government investigator reported Wednesday. The investigator said 241 of the inmates were serving life sentences.
The story goes on to say that the IRS has blocked 400,000 applications and started 150 criminal investigations.
Thoughts on this? Have you claimed the homebuyer credit? Comment or email me at melissa.yeager@winktv.com.
Tune in tonight at 5pm--we're looking into a new scam targeting renters in Southwest Florida. Man, these scam artists are getting sneaky!
Nearly 1,300 prison inmates wrongly received more than $9 million in tax credits for homebuyers despite being locked up when they claimed they bought a home, a government investigator reported Wednesday. The investigator said 241 of the inmates were serving life sentences.
The story goes on to say that the IRS has blocked 400,000 applications and started 150 criminal investigations.
Thoughts on this? Have you claimed the homebuyer credit? Comment or email me at melissa.yeager@winktv.com.
Tune in tonight at 5pm--we're looking into a new scam targeting renters in Southwest Florida. Man, these scam artists are getting sneaky!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Your phone rings, but no one is there: You just got scammed!
From the FBI website:
It's called a "denial-of-service" attack and they're nothing new. Computer hackers have used them to take down websites. But in a new twist, criminals are using telephones to keep you looking the other way while they steal your money.
Here's how it works. You get a telephone call and when you answer you hear dead air or a recorded message, advertisements or even a phone sex menu. What the crooks are actually doing is using automated dialing programs and multiple accounts to overwhelm the phone lines. The calls are a diversion tactic. While the lines are tied up, the criminals are masquerading as the victims and are raiding bank accounts, online trading funds or other money management accounts.
The FBI explains how it works:
--Weeks or months before the phone calls start, a criminal uses social engineering tactics or malware to elicit personal information from a victim that this person's bank or financial institution would have-like account numbers and passwords. Perhaps the victim responded to a bogus e-mail phishing for information, inadvertently gave out sensitive information during a phone call, or put too much personal information on social networking sites that are trolled by criminals.
--Using technology, the criminal ties up the victim's various phone lines.
--Then, the criminal either contacts the financial institution pretending to be the victim…or pilfers the victim's online bank accounts using fraudulent transactions. Normally, the institution calls to verify the transactions, but of course they can't get through to the victim over the phone.
--If the transactions aren't made, the criminals sometimes re-contact the financial institution as the victim and ask for it to be done. Or they add their own phone number to victims' accounts and just wait for the bank to call.
By the time the victim or the financial institution realizes what happens, it's too late.
Tips to protect yourself:
--never give out personal information to an unsolicited phone caller or via e-mail
--change online banking and automated telephone system passwords frequently
--check your account balances often; and protect your computers with the latest virus protection and security software.
And if you think you may have been targeted by a telephone denial-of-service attack, contact your financial institution and your telephone provider, and file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
To read more about the scam, click here.
It's called a "denial-of-service" attack and they're nothing new. Computer hackers have used them to take down websites. But in a new twist, criminals are using telephones to keep you looking the other way while they steal your money.
Here's how it works. You get a telephone call and when you answer you hear dead air or a recorded message, advertisements or even a phone sex menu. What the crooks are actually doing is using automated dialing programs and multiple accounts to overwhelm the phone lines. The calls are a diversion tactic. While the lines are tied up, the criminals are masquerading as the victims and are raiding bank accounts, online trading funds or other money management accounts.
The FBI explains how it works:
--Weeks or months before the phone calls start, a criminal uses social engineering tactics or malware to elicit personal information from a victim that this person's bank or financial institution would have-like account numbers and passwords. Perhaps the victim responded to a bogus e-mail phishing for information, inadvertently gave out sensitive information during a phone call, or put too much personal information on social networking sites that are trolled by criminals.
--Using technology, the criminal ties up the victim's various phone lines.
--Then, the criminal either contacts the financial institution pretending to be the victim…or pilfers the victim's online bank accounts using fraudulent transactions. Normally, the institution calls to verify the transactions, but of course they can't get through to the victim over the phone.
--If the transactions aren't made, the criminals sometimes re-contact the financial institution as the victim and ask for it to be done. Or they add their own phone number to victims' accounts and just wait for the bank to call.
By the time the victim or the financial institution realizes what happens, it's too late.
Tips to protect yourself:
--never give out personal information to an unsolicited phone caller or via e-mail
--change online banking and automated telephone system passwords frequently
--check your account balances often; and protect your computers with the latest virus protection and security software.
And if you think you may have been targeted by a telephone denial-of-service attack, contact your financial institution and your telephone provider, and file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
To read more about the scam, click here.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Business owners--send me an email!
Have you filed a claim with BP for losses from the oil spill? We want to know how the process is working for you!
Drop me a line at melissa.yeager@winktv.com.
Drop me a line at melissa.yeager@winktv.com.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
No oil here! But who is getting the message?
$25 million. That's how much BP has paid Florida to let tourists know what beaches are open for business. Ads are already running, but where are the ads for Southwest Florida?
It's a Call for Action Investigation tonight on WINK News at 6pm. Chief Investigator Melissa Yeager goes right to the Governor's office to find out why not one cent has been used on ads for our pristine beaches.
It's a Call for Action Investigation tonight on WINK News at 6pm. Chief Investigator Melissa Yeager goes right to the Governor's office to find out why not one cent has been used on ads for our pristine beaches.
FBI 2009 Mortgage Fraud Report
FBI Issues 2009 Mortgage Fraud Report
Mortgage fraud is on the rise according to the latest FBI report. The crime jumped 5% from 2008 to 2009. The exact total dollar loss attributed to mortgage fraud for 2009 isn't known but it's estimated to have cost $14 billion.
Other key findings presented in the report include:
--2.8 million properties with foreclosure filings-- up 120% from 2007 to 2009
--The top 10 states ranked by the number of foreclosure filings per housing unit were: California, Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, Texas, and New Jersey
--In April 2010, one in every 386 housing units received a foreclosure filing.
The entire report is available on the FBI's website:
2009 FBI Mortgage Fraud Report
Mortgage fraud is on the rise according to the latest FBI report. The crime jumped 5% from 2008 to 2009. The exact total dollar loss attributed to mortgage fraud for 2009 isn't known but it's estimated to have cost $14 billion.
Other key findings presented in the report include:
--2.8 million properties with foreclosure filings-- up 120% from 2007 to 2009
--The top 10 states ranked by the number of foreclosure filings per housing unit were: California, Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, Texas, and New Jersey
--In April 2010, one in every 386 housing units received a foreclosure filing.
The entire report is available on the FBI's website:
2009 FBI Mortgage Fraud Report
Scam warning: Criminals get high tech
The Lee County Sheriff's Office Fraud unit recently sent out a warning about cyber criminals. The Fraud Line has received a lot of calls from people whose social networking site has been hacked ("Facebook"). The criminal then uses the victim's e-mail address book to scam your friends. Here's how it works:
The cyber thief blasts out e-mails pretending to be you. In the e-mail, the crook says that your out of the country and an unfortunate incident occurred. The e-mail goes on to say that "you" need money to get back home to the United States. The e-mails asks for money to be sent via Western Union or Moneygram. The thief often times also disables the victim's actual e-mail making it impossible for you to warn family and friends of the hacking incident.
The Lee Sheriff's office has tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
2. Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date and learn about their security features.
3. Keep your passwords safe, secure and strong.
4. Back up important files.
5. Protect your personal information.
6. Learn what to do in an "e"-mergency.
To report a fraud or scam or to find out if that phone call, e-mail, letter or the person at
your door is trying to scam you, contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Line at
239-477-1242.
Call for Action wants to hear from you!
Do you have great video or pictures of something you want us to investigate? We want to hear from you!
E-mail us at: callforaction@winknews.com
E-mail us at: callforaction@winknews.com
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