Telehealth has been a boon for fraud because it expands the reach of the fraudster. But this type of fraud is nothing new. It’s just a different mechanism for communicating with vulnerable targets.
Joseph Choi for The Hill:
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday it has charged 78 people relating to their alleged involvement in defrauding care programs for elderly and disabled people of more than $2.5 billion. …
The bulk of the fraud appears to have been conducted through telemedicine schemes. According to the DOJ, individuals in the U.S. and abroad engaged in an operation that targeted elderly and disabled people through advertisements and the mail, connecting them with offshore staff who upsold unnecessary equipment and prescriptions.