Alert reissued about MaineCare fraud calls

State officials warned Wednesday that telemarketers are taking advantage of changes to the MaineCare program for seniors to get personal financial information and money from Maine residents.

Beginning on Jan. 2, a new voluntary prescription benefit program through MaineCare will be available to Maine seniors with Medicare.

Although 18 companies in Maine will be providing this prescription coverage, they can’t enroll a senior over the phone.

But that is what appears to be happening, said Charles Dow, spokesman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

In September and again in recent days, state officials have received calls from concerned Maine residents who said they had been contacted about signing up for a prescription card.

State authorities issued an alert Wednesday, as they did in September, in light of the calls.

“Today there were a flurry of calls” from concerned Maine residents, Dow said Wednesday.

The pitch included the telemarketer asking for a $200 fee, something the state would not do.

“The rule to always follow is: If the caller asks for your checking account number, your social security number, or your credit card number, hang up,” Attorney General Steven Rowe said earlier this year.

Previously it was reported that one southern Maine woman lost $299 from her bank account when she gave out checking account information to a telemarketer calling about the prescription program.

As well as being contacted by phone, some residents had been contacted in person about the plan, which state officials have said is illegal as door-to-door selling is strictly prohibited.

Dow did say that state officials are making calls about MaineCare but those calls have to do with helping seniors qualify for Medicare Part B, the premium assistance, which is separate from Medicare Part D, the prescription medicine plan.

Mainers can take precautions to avoid being scammed, including:

. Don’t give out any personal information over the phone.

. Demand written materials from telephone solicitors.

. Don’t pay money to apply for a plan; no plan should have an application fee.

. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging before making any plan decisions, (877) 353-3771 or call (800) Medicare or go online to www.medicare.gov.