Medicare Fraud: Shut it down

It seems that every time you turn around there is a new attempt to scam seniors. Here is one of the ways this happens;

You get a phone call from a company, the representative on the phone tells you they are calling on behalf of your doctor’s office to set up your medical supplies shipment. They just need to verify your information, for example, shipping address, and your medicare number. With this information, they will then bill Medicare for supplies, things such as catheters, glucose test strips, and urine protein test strips. These items are never shipped to you, the next time you go to your doctor’s office, if you inquire about it, they will have no record of ordering the supplies for you.

Medicare was just scammed out of hundreds of dollars. And since they now have your information, they can continue to run this scam every three months. The fraud runs the gamut: billing for unapproved Covid tests, phony billing for wheelchairs, braces, and other medical equipment, genetic testing fraud, home healthcare billing, and a host of other schemes.  The American taxpayers are losing more than $100 billion a year to Medicare and Medicaid fraud, according to estimates from the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

But here is how YOU can do your part and protect yourself from Medicare fraud and scams:

  1. If you get a call, text or email asking for your Medicare Number, don’t respond. Don’t give your Medicare card or Medicare Number to anyone except your doctor or people you know should have it.
  2. Check your Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) or claims statements carefully. If you see a charge for a service you didn’t get or a product you didn’t order, it may be fraud. If you suspect fraud, report it at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
  3. Guard your Medicare card like it’s a credit card.
Click link to view video

Click the image to view an important video to help protect your Medicare.
Don’t get scammed!
For more tips on IRS scammers, check out our post on scams.

Can I Use My PC to Access iCloud Photos?

You can access your iCloud Photos on a PC by using the iCloud for Windows application.

Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Download and Install iCloud for Windows:
    • Visit the official Apple website to download iCloud for Windows: Download iCloud for Windows.
    • Follow the on-screen instructions to install the application on your PC.
  2. Sign in to iCloud:
    • Open the iCloud for Windows application.
    • Enter your Apple ID and password to sign in.
  3. Choose iCloud Features:
    • Once signed in, you can choose which iCloud features you want to enable on your PC. Make sure to select “Photos.”
  4. Configure Photo Options:
    • Click on the “Options” button next to Photos to configure your photo settings.
    • You can choose to download new photos and videos to your PC, upload photos to iCloud, and choose the folder where photos will be stored.
  5. Access iCloud Photos:
    • Open File Explorer on your PC.
    • You should see a new entry in the left sidebar for “iCloud Photos.” Click on it to access your iCloud Photos.

By following these steps, you should be able to log into iCloud Photos on your PC and access your photos and videos stored in iCloud. Keep in mind that you need an active internet connection, and your iCloud Photos need to be synced with your iCloud account.

Change Your Passwords

Today, I would like to talk to you about the importance of changing your passwords regularly.

As we all know, in this day and age, our online lives are becoming increasingly important. From banking and shopping to staying in touch with loved ones, we rely on the internet for many things. And with so much sensitive information out there, it’s important to take steps to protect ourselves.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by changing your passwords regularly.  It’s also important to have unique passwords for your online accounts because if you use the same password for multiple accounts, a hacker could gain access to all of them if they figure out one password. By having a unique password for each account, you make it harder for someone to get into all of your accounts at once. This way, even if one account is compromised, your other accounts will still be safe. And by changing the passwords frequently, you can ensure that even if someone gains access to one of your accounts, they won’t be able to stay in for long.

So, the next time you log in to your online accounts, take a moment to update your password. It may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in keeping your information secure.

Using a password safe is easy and can help you keep all your passwords secure in one place. Here’s how you can use it:

1.            Choose a Password Safe: There are many Password Safe options available. Choose one that suits your needs and install it on your device.

2.            Create a strong master password: The master password is the password you use to access your Password Safe. Make sure it is strong and unique.

3.            Add your account details: Add all of your online account details, including usernames and passwords, to the password safe.

4.            Use the password safe to generate unique passwords: Most Password Safes come with a password generator feature. Use it to create strong, unique passwords for your accounts.

5.            Access your accounts with ease: Whenever you need to log in to an account, simply open your Password Safe and copy and paste the password into the login form.

Remember to update your passwords regularly and always keep your master password safe and secure. With a Password Safe, you can protect your online accounts from hackers and keep your personal information safe.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and stay safe out there.

Creating and Managing Strong Passwords

The following information is provided by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency:

NCCIC/US-CERT reminds users of the importance of creating and managing strong passwords. Passwords are often the only barrier between you and your personal information. There are several programs attackers can use to help guess or “crack” passwords. However, choosing strong passwords and keeping them confidential can make it more difficult for others to access your information.

NCCIC/US-CERT recommends users take the following actions:

  • Use multi-factor authentication when available.
  • Use different passwords on different systems and accounts.
  • Don’t use passwords that are based on personal information that can be easily accessed or guessed.
  • Use the longest password or passphrase permissible by each password system.
  • Don’t use words that can be found in any dictionary of any language.
  • Refer to Tips on Choosing and Protecting Passwords and Supplementing Passwords for best practices and additional information.

    And an additional suggestion from Bee Hive Support, it is better to use a program to store your passwords – and not a piece of paper with all your passwords!

    If you would like to discuss a password vault program for you, please feel free to reach out to Bee Hive Support.

I received a popup saying my computer is infected

If you see something similar to this:

This is a pretty common occurrence and nothing to be worried about.  This is just a pop-up and your computer is not infected.  The message is a scam that is trying to scare you into calling the displayed phone number so the scammers can get access to your computer and try to sell you some software you don’t need.

The pop up can be difficult to close.  You can just restart your computer or close your web browser through Task Manager. 

To close this through Task Manager, right-click the time in the bottom right of your screen, then click Task Manager.

Find your web browser on the list and right-click it then click End Task. 

Sometimes when you reopen your browser the pop-up will display again if your browser is set to go back to the page it was last on when the browser closed.  If this is the case, just close the web browser again through Task Manager.  Now hit the Windows key + R on your keyboard.

This should bring up a Run window.  Type www.google.com in the space provided then click OK. 

This should open your browser on this website instead of going back to the previous one that displayed the pop-up.

Beware of IRS Scam Calls

The IRS continues to warn consumers to guard against scam phone calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Criminals pose as the IRS to trick victims out of their money or personal information. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:

  • Scammers make unsolicited calls.  Thieves call taxpayers claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.
     
  • Callers try to scare their victims.  Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.
     
  • Scams use caller ID spoofing.  Scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
     
  • Cons try new tricks all the time.  Some schemes provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. Others use emails that contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for a reply. These scams often use official IRS letterhead in emails or regular mail that they send to their victims. They try these ploys to make the ruse look official.
     
  • Scams cost victims over $23 million.  The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of about 736,000 scam contacts since October 2013. Nearly 4,550 victims have collectively paid over $23 million as a result of the scam.

The IRS will NEVER:

  • Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
     
  • Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
     
  • Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
     
  • Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
     
  • Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:

  • Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
     
  • Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” webpage. You can also call 800-366-4484.
     
  • Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:

  • Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.

Phone scams first tried to sting older people, new immigrants to the U.S. and those who speak English as a second language. Now the crooks try to swindle just about anyone. And they’ve ripped-off people in every state in the nation.

Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.

Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

And those Social Security calls are scams too! Here is a great article by AARP

iPadOS – Transformation begins!

Apple has been promising – have they delivered?

Apple has been promising since they first released the iPad that it was the future of computers! But those of us who have used iPads know it is a device that hasn’t come close to replacing our desktop or laptop computers. However, Apple MAY be getting closer with the new iPadOS.

The new iPadOS is much like the iPhone’s iOS13 with a lot of features that are specific to the iPad. These improvements are for iPad models going back to the iPad Air 2 and Mini 4.

The first thing you will want to remember is to NOT install a public beta version of the software. You will end up with glitches, your apps may randomly crash or the iPad will suddenly reboot. The production version of the iPadOS will arrive in the fall and most people will be better off waiting until then! So it is coming…just give it a few months.

Some things to look forward to:

Widgets on the home screen! These helpful at-a-glance tools provide weather, reminders and news headlines, if you have an iPhone, you are probably already using them.

Safari on the new iPadOS will be more like an actual desktop browser! Providing the user with a richer more computer like browsing experience.

If you use a Pencil you will notice the improved Pencil lag takes something that was good and improves on it making a nearly seamless feel. Writing, in particular, feels very fluid.

The new iPadOS has a lot of multitasking improvements including the ability to display a wide range of Apple apps allow for split-screen support, allowing you to have two windows open at once. Currently, these are Apple apps, but by the fall you should see this functionality in App Store apps.

There are a few other things this new iPadOS can do, such as allow for USB storage, multi-gesture editing, and even quasi mouse support. So, will these improvements be enough to pull me away from my desktop computer? Not yet, but there are a lot of tools that will help bridge the gap for a lot of people. But one take away from today’s post – while it may be tempting to download the iPadOS public beta – WAIT!



52 Stories Project – Week 3

Here is the third week of 2019, sorry it is a little late – I have been under the weather. Here are the writing prompts for this week.

What is the 52 Stories project? Click here for details.

Please select one of the following writing prompts (or all of them if you want to be an overachiever).

1) What is the smell that makes you feel safe and cared for?

2) Who is someone you admire and why you admire them?

3) What are your favorite things about the town you live in?

4) What event in your childhood had the most impact on your life as an adult?

And as always if you want to share them with the world feel free to leave them in the comments!

Want to catch up? Here are the links for previous weeks:
Week 1
Week 2

52 Stories – Week 2

Week two!  Are you ready to add to your story this week?  
 Not familiar with the 52 Stories Project?  Click here for details.

1) What is your best memory as a teenager with your friends?

2) What was the first moment you felt truly grown up or independent?

3) Describe a time you felt especially valued and loved.

4) Name a book that spoke to you on a personal level. Why?

And as always if you want to share them with the world feel free to leave them in the comments!

Want to catch up? Heres the link for last week:
Week 1