Scam alert: Callers pretending to be from Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Recently, some members have received calls from individuals who claim to be from Blue Cross and Blue Shield and then ask for the member’s personal information. These calls are not from BCBSRI or any other Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan. BCBSRI will never call and ask for your financial account numbers, Social Security numbers, or passwords. Members have reported that these calls look as though they are coming from telephone number 289-800-0303 (out of Canada), but may come from other phone numbers as well.

How to protect your personal information

These tips can help you guard against scam callers:

• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, your mother's maiden name, passwords, or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
• If you get a call from someone who says they are from a company or a government agency and asks for your personal information, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company's or government agency's website to make sure the call was legitimately from the organization the caller identified.
• Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
• Regularly check your claims history by logging in to your BCBSRI account. Please contact BCBSRI if you see anything suspicious. If you gave information to someone you believe was a scam caller, please call the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Anti-Fraud Hotline at 1-800-830-1444 or email SIU@bcbsri.org. You also may report it online here and enter access ID "BCRI".

If you receive or have already received a scam call, you can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

For more tips on how to protect your health information, please see this article from The Rhode Ahead, our member publication.