VISN 2: Veterans' Wellness, Summer 2006

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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2

Summer 2006

Health Fraud Alert!

Protect yourself from ID theft
It takes just basic information — your name, Social Security number and date of birth — for someone to steal your identity and ruin your credit. Unfortunately for 26.5 million veterans, that sensitive data was recently made vulnerable.

To protect your credit, monitor your financial statements and credit reports. Report any suspicious activity to your local police department; one of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax (1-800-525-6285 or www.equifax.com), Experian (1-888-397-3742 or www.experian.com) or TransUnion (1-800-680-7289 or www.transunion.com); and the Federal Trade Commission (1-877-438-4338 or www.consumer.gov/idtheft).

By law, you’re entitled to one free credit report a year. To be even more vigilant, you can regularly order additional copies or sign up for a service that does it for you. Some credit bureaus offer a service that monitors your reports, alerts you to key changes within 24 hours and offers up to $20,000 protection.

For more information about how the Department of Veterans Affairs is helping to protect you, go to www.usa.gov or call 1-800-FED-INFO.

Don't fall victim to these common scams

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Apply that adage to your health care decisions and you’ll save yourself money—and potential harm. Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on bogus cures. Protect yourself from health scams by avoiding these common traps:

Health care quackery. Quacks are people who hawk unproven remedies or try to bilk you with services you don’t need. A red flag should be raised when health care providers:

promise to cure a chronic or fatal disease
say a test is free as long as you provide your Medicare number
advertise free consultations to Medicare beneficiaries
use pressure or scare tactics to sell you high priced tests or services
bill your insurance for services you don’t remember receiving

Wonder-drug rip-offs. If a drug or supplement is touted as a cure-all, a scientific breakthrough or containing a secret ingredient, beware! Money-back guarantees, limited product availability or advance payment requirements are other tips that this may be a scam. If a treatment is safe and effective, your doctor will know about it.

Untrustworthy information. The Internet offers a world of information, but not all of it’s trustworthy. To ensure you get reliable health information, use My HealtheVet, an interactive Web site aimed at helping veterans take charge of their health. Simply go to www.myhealth.va.gov and click on the “Register now” link. In no time, you’ll have access to the best health care resources online.

Privacy and identity theft. As a rule, never give your Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security number to people you don’t know or to anyone over the telephone or Internet. When VA updates your files, usually through a phone call, we won’t ask for your Social Security number, since we already have it on file. If you don’t feel comfortable giving us information, you can call us back or update your files at your next visit.

Online-purchase cons. Buying prescription drugs on the Internet may seem like a cheap alternative to a pharmacy, but doing so isn’t always safe. Illegal Web sites may sell counterfeit or contaminated products.

One Web site you can trust for prescription refills is My HealtheVet. To use Online Refill, you must be a VA patient with prescriptions written by VA doctors that have already been filled at least once at a VA pharmacy and have a My HealtheVet account. To register and order refills, go to www.myhealth.va.gov.

Reviewed/Updated Date: January 16, 2007