Dr Oz warns Medicare scammers are stealing billions — and your personal information could be next

Medicare fraud is simply a multibillion-dollar occupation that authorities officials accidental threatens some payer dollars and Americans’ idiosyncratic identities.

In a July 6 interrogation with Fox News Digital astatine the Great American State Fair successful Washington, D.C., Dr. Mehmet Oz warned that each dollar stolen done Medicare fraud is simply a dollar taxpayers suffer – a occupation that has worsened since the COVID pandemic.

"If I had to conscionable prime 1 happening to absorption connected to marque healthcare much affordable successful America, I'd spell to wellness fraud and each the discarded and maltreatment that accompanies it," said Oz, who is the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "And conscionable to enactment this successful perspective, we deliberation it's astir $100 cardinal a year."

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Medicare fraud tin see billing for services that were ne'er provided, overcharging for aesculapian equipment, utilizing stolen diligent oregon doc information, oregon performing unnecessary procedures, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

CMS head Dr. Mehmet Oz is pictured connected signifier astatine the Great American State Fair successful Washington, D.C., connected July 6, 2026. (Angelica Stabile/Fox News Digital)

As the Trump medication ramped up efforts to combat fraud, CMS reported $41.9 cardinal successful Medicare programme integrity savings successful 2025, up 59% from $26.3 cardinal successful 2024.

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Medicare fraud not lone harms the national fund and steals from taxpayers, but exposes seniors to individuality theft, unnecessary care, higher premiums and reduced access, Oz cautioned.

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Removing corruption from the healthcare strategy volition person the top interaction among seniors, since "so overmuch of the fraud is perpetrated against them," the head said.

"I'm talking astir radical tricking seniors to springiness up their Medicare beneficiary numbers, which is similar a recognition paper basically," helium said. "These scammers tin instrumentality those numbers and usage them for each kinds of illegitimate purposes."

"If I had to conscionable prime 1 happening to absorption connected to marque healthcare much affordable successful America, I'd spell to wellness fraud and each the discarded and maltreatment that accompanies it," said Oz. (Fox News Digital)

"People are stealing from you by pretending to nonstop you drugs you don't want, wheelchairs you don't need, [and] services you ne'er asked for oregon don't payment from," Oz added.

To forestall this, helium shared his apical proposal for seniors: Do not springiness your Medicare beneficiary fig to anybody, bash not reply questions connected a telephone telephone from an chartless idiosyncratic and bash not springiness distant idiosyncratic information.

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"These scammers are calling seniors, tricking them, and erstwhile they person cardinal information, they tin bargain it," helium said. "And I won't cognize it and you won't cognize it."

"We privation to support radical who request these programs the most," Oz went on. "You bash that by making definite scoundrels don't corrupt the systems and bargain wealth retired of the till that is designed to assistance folks successful dire straits erstwhile they're susceptible and successful request of services."

Seniors should ne'er stock their Medicare accusation with chartless people, the head advised. (iStock)

Removing fraud could "double the beingness expectancy of the spot money that makes each this possible," Oz predicted.

"If you're disquieted astir Medicare being determination erstwhile you're acceptable to discontinue successful a mates decades, depending connected however aged you are, and you're acrophobic that it mightiness not past due to the fact that of each the fraud that's hitting it ... you've got a bully [reason to] worry," helium said.

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"If we instrumentality the fraud out, we could treble the beingness expectancy, which means you, your kids, your kids' kids ... they could each payment from this beauteous information nett program."