From time to time, I get calls and texts from clients who have seen something online about Medicare benefits they may qualify for. Sometimes, it comes in an email. Other times, it shows up in their newsfeed or as an enticing article. Either way, it is known as “clickbait”.
“Clickbait” is a type of advertisement, with enticing graphics and words that encourage you to click. These links are designed to drive beneficiaries to call centers or websites where the beneficiary can be sold something. Beneficiaries are targeted based on online behavior such as what articles you click on, what youtube videos you watch, advertisements you click on, which websites you visit, etc.
You see, when each of us go online, our internet service provider connects us to the web and identify us to marketers by our IP address. To make a long story short, everything you do online can be tracked back to you with identifying information such as name, phone number, address, browsing habits, etc.
If that is not bad enough, now you are targeted simply because you were curious. So, in the spirit of translucence I am sharing some of the recent scams and spam advertisements that people are seeing. These are just a few of the screenshots I have seen.
All of these ads you see are nothing more than “clickbait”.
The reality is that, in most situations, only those of you who are receiving Medicaid (low-income assistance) in addition to Medicare qualify for these types of benefits. Even then, what you get depends on your level of Medicaid, as well as where you live. Further, a particular plan may not be a good fit over what you may already have. Mostly, these are blanket ads that show a best-case scenario available in a particular area which means it may not be available where you live.
Most, if not all of you, have heard me talk about the “vultures”. I call them that because they prey on others. They are those scammers and unscrupulous salespeople that will tell you anything. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have precise rules and have put forth Federal Regulations to stop this practice but it still exists.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That is why I am talking to you about it. If I don’t, who will?
