How to Deal With Medical-Grade Brace Robocalls

On April 9, 2019, the Federal authorities broke up a notorious Medicare scam that targeted the elderly and peddled them unnecessary orthopedic braces through overseas call centers.

According to Medicare’s anti-fraud unit, 130 medical equipment companies were involved in these medical-grade brace robocalls.

The scam program was billed a total of $1.7 billion.

Who Is Selling Medical Braces With Robocalls?

The Justice Departments pressed charges against 24 U.S. citizens involved in the infamous Medicare robocall scams. Among those who were charged are doctors who issued phony prescriptions for unnecessary back, knee, and wrist braces, as well as owners of medical equipment companies, call centers, and telemedicine firms.

How Does This Medicare Scam Work?

First, victims receive calls from telemarketers, offering them free orthopedic braces that are also marketed on television and in various radio ads. Those beneficiaries who express interest in these braces get forwarded to call centers (some of which operated from the Philippines and Latin America).

Subsequently, call centers verify the beneficiaries’ Medicare coverages and transfer them to telemedicine firms for free consultations with a doctor.

Then, the doctor writes bogus prescriptions to Medicare beneficiaries, regardless of whether they need them or not. Some people are even prescribed multiple braces!

Lastly, the call centers take these prescriptions and sell them to medical equipment companies who charge Medicare and ship the braces to the beneficiaries.

What makes these scams particularly dangerous is the fact that Medicare gets billed for these braces. Beneficiaries whose information gets misused might experience long waiting periods from Medicare in the future because the program has limits on how often it pays for beneficiaries’ equipment and supplies.

What Can You Do About a Back Brace Robocall?

If you are a Medicare recipient and you receive a call offering you free or low-cost back and knee braces, probably the best thing you can do is hang up the phone. To avoid getting scammed, consider adhering to the following advice provided by the Federal Trading Commission (FTC):

1. Consult your doctor first if you need medical braces or any other type of medical equipment. Telemarketers trying to sell you their products do not know what you really need
2. Avoid providing your Medicare or other personal information with unknown callers over the phone
3. Keep in mind that all robocalls for a medical-grade knee brace or back brace are scams. Medicare would never call its beneficiaries with such offers
4. Check your Medicare Summary Notice and make sure that you are only charged for services that you have received
5. Do not pay for equipment you or your doctor did not order. If you get medical equipment in the mail, keep it as a gift, but never pay for it

For additional information on how to protect yourself from scam callers, check out the FCC's guide to robocalls.

Send Demand Letters To Back Brace Scam Robocallers Fast and Easy With DoNotPay

Since we have a long history of helping people overcome issues, we are proud to say that we have introduced a new feature to our app called Robocall Revenge! With Robo Revenge, you can track down medical grade knee brace robocallers and demand compensation. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), individuals may be entitled to seek $500 for each robocall they receive without their consent, and this amount can potentially be tripled to $1,500 if the court finds the violation to be willful or knowing.

To start using our services, simply access DoNotPay through a web browser.

Here is how we help you fight back against robocalls:

1. You receive a robocall
2. The scammer tries to steal your personal information or money
3. You open DoNotPay and click Robo Revenge
4. Our app generates a free virtual credit card for you
5. You share the fake credit card information with the scammer
6. DoNotPay tracks the robocaller down based on the transaction details
7. We help you write a dispute letter and send it off to the scammer

Virtual Credit Cards Are a Legitimate Solution

DoNotPay’s virtual credit card makes a world of difference because it not only allows us to track down scammers when they try to charge your virtual account, but it helps us protect your identity and personal information as well.

While you can use DoNotPay to report a robocall that is coming from America, we are not yet able to help you send demand letters to foreign robocallers because we need their location information to file a claim.

Why Are Robocalls Not Illegal?

Robocalls can be put to good use in various kinds of situations. Here are a few examples:

The FTC and the FCC set forth a number of rules that businesses need to stick to for their robocalls to be considered .

The most prominent rules are:

• The caller has to identify himself or herself properly
• Calls have to be placed between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
• Companies need customers’ permissions to autodial them
• Customers have to be able to pull out of the company’s calls
• People whose numbers are on the National Do Not Call list cannot be contacted

Obligatory Identification

At the very beginning of the call, the caller has to:

1. Disclose his or her identity
2. Disclose the identity of the company on whose behalf the call is being placed

At the end of the call, the caller needs to:

1. Provide the company’s phone number
2. Provide the company’s address

No Permission—No Robocall

If a company wants to place a robocall about knee brace legally, they have to receive express written consent from its customers in order to do so.

Usually, express written consents are provided as electronic signatures, or the customer checks a box on an online form. The E-SIGN Act defines express written consents and all the forms they can appear in.

Customers Need a Way Out

Regardless of whether a company’s robocalls include pre-recorded messages or voicemails, they have to enable the customer to remove his or her number from the company’s calling list. In case of a pre-recorded message, the caller has to be able to press a certain number and opt-out of the company’s call for good.

Voicemail messages need to contain a toll-free, callback number that customers can dial and place their numbers on the company’s do not call list.

Saved by the Do Not Call Registry

The FTC set its Do Not Call Registry in motion way back in 2003. Americans can place their numbers on this list and prevent annoying telemarketers and businesses from legally autodialing them.

If you were wondering how to stop robocalls, consider putting your number on the National Do Not Call Registry:

1. Open the FTC’s Do Not Call website
2. Click on Report Unwanted Calls
3. Provide information about the unwanted call you received
4. Submit your request

If you are unsure how to check if a number is on the Do Not Call list, you can contact the FTC and find out!

For additional information on the Do Not Call list expiration and Do Not Call list exceptions, visit FTC’s website or give them a call.

How Medical Brace Robocall Scams Work

Medical-grade brace robocalls and similar scams are not difficult to set up. Fraudsters have to follow these five steps:

1. Purchase leads lists
2. Get into America’s phone network
3. Initiate the autodialing process
4. Operate a phone bank
5. Convert the income

They Get the Numbers

Just like telemarketers, scammers acquire their calling lists from companies that sell leads to customers For just a few thousands of dollars, fraudsters can purchase more than a million phone numbers!

Small Phone Providers Let Them In

While major phone carriers are placed under the FTC’s and the FCC’s scrutiny, small phone providers are not. That puts them in a position to allow scammers into America’s phone network — for the right price.

An Endless Loop of Autodialing

Between three to five percent of people who receive scam calls actually fall for them. Robocallers know this, and that is why they have to use advanced autodialing technology to be able to dial up to one million numbers in a single hour. The more people they dial, the more lucrative their scam becomes.

Phone Banks Make the Magic Happen

People who take the bait and give the robocaller a callback get forwarded to the scammer’s phone bank where malicious people try to extort money or personal information from them. Remember, voicemails and pre-recorded messages are there to lure you in. Only a real person can steal your money and information.

Covering the Traces

The last thing a fraudster needs to do is quickly convert the income into other forms of money. Gift cards are usually used for these purposes. This is probably the most important step of the process as it disables the authorities from tracking the cash flow.

Other Robocall Scams That Target the Elderly

While medical-grade brace robocalls pose a great privacy risk to America’s pensioners, many other robocall scams target the elderly and manipulate them in the same way. The most popular scams are:

How to Block Medical Grade Brace Robocalls on Your Smartphone

All new iOS and Android smartphones come with number blocking features. Keep in mind that blocking a spammer’s number can be effective only if you are dealing with a telemarketer. You will not achieve much by blocking a scam caller’s number as they tend to change their numbers frequently.

iOS Number Blocking Features

If you are using an iOS device, your phone is capable of blocking a specific number as well as silencing all unknown callers (iOS 13 or higher).

To block a number on an iOS device, you need to:

1. Open the Phone app
2. Select Recents
3. Tap the info icon next to the number
4. Select Block this Caller
5. Select Block Contact

To silence unknown callers, you must:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Phone
3. Turn on the Silence Unknown Callers switch

Android Number Blocking Features

Android users also have the option to block a specific number or block all unidentified numbers. To do the former, you will have to:

1. Open the Phone app
2. Select Recent Calls
3. Tap the number and select Block or Report as spam
4. Confirm the message asking you if you want to block this number

To block all unidentified number on an Android device, you need to:

1. Open the Phone app
2. Select Settings
3. Enable the Block Unidentified Numbers switch

How to Block Robocalls for a Medical Grade Knee Brace on a Landline

If your landline uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, you can rely on third-party apps such as Nomorobo for blocking back brace robocalls.

Nomorobo is free of charge for VoIP landlines, and it uses the “simultaneous ring” technology to help you fight back annoying robocallers.

Whenever your phone rings, Nomorobo gets the call too. If Nomorobo picks up the call first and establishes that you are dealing with a scam caller, your phone will not ring the second time. It takes some time to get used to the fact that you have to wait for the second ring, but Nomorobo gets the job done every single time.

It goes without saying that if the robocall falsely placed, Nomorobo will forward it to you.

Best Robocall Blocking Apps

Have you thought about using a robocall blocker? Given the robocall epidemic, most major phone carriers and third-party companies started developing their own robocall blocking apps that you can use to prevent spam and scam callers from bothering you.

Among the best robocall blocking apps are:

DoNotPay Makes It Seem Easy

Are you tired of overcoming obstacles on your own? If you want to lower your bills or need help paying bills, DoNotPay has got your back. Our app packs a ton of useful features that can truly make your life hassle-free. Start using DoNotPay and get the helping hand you have always needed. To access our services, simply open DoNotPay in a web browser. Our app boasts a ton of features that can help you:

• Cancel subscriptions or memberships
• Fight speeding tickets
• Get revenge on other robocalls
• Deal with bills you are unable to pay
• Deal with credit card issues
• Schedule a DMV appointment fast and easy
• Contest parking tickets
• Send Demand Letters To people and companies in small claims court
• Dispute traffic tickets
• Get refunds for delayed or canceled flights
• Jump the phone queue when getting in touch with customer service reps