State Attorney General John Fornella and Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette are warning about a scam involving fake Medicaid checks in a variation of the "fake check scam."

In one case, the scammer bought something from an individual via Craigslist. An email was sent to the victims letting them know a check was on its way via UPS complete with a tracking number. The check would contain "extra funds" to cover shipping of the item purchased. Once the check is received, the victim was to ship the item and send funds to the scammer for the difference.

The check appears to have been issued by the State of New Hampshire from a "Medicaid payments" account. But it's a fake so it doesn't clear, and the victim loses their money and the item.

Shibinette said that regarding this scam:

    • NH Medicaid does not send payment checks to individuals who are not enrolled in NH Medicaid
    • Only providers enrolled in NH Medicaid receive NH Medicaid payment for covered services provided to NH Medicaid beneficiaries
    • Reimbursement of NH Medicaid beneficiaries for covered services is not issued by NH Medicaid.

These are the telltale signs of a scam, according to Fornella and Shibinette:

  • The buyer offers to pay only by check (often by "certified check") and refuses to use any secure online payment method
  • The buyer sends a check from a source you are unfamiliar with, such as a State governmental agency or a business
  • The check is valued at more than the agreed-upon purchase price and the buyer requests immediate remittance of the difference
  • Emails or other correspondence from the buyer contain poor grammar or misspelled words.

If you have been the victim of a scam, Fornella said to call your local police department and the New Hampshire Consumer Protection Hotline at 603-271-3641.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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