Business ProfileforHalo Florida DME, LLC.

Scam Alert: Beware of the Medicare back brace scam
By Better Business Bureau. May 29, 2020.

To view the full article, please visit:
https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/13033-scam-alert-beware-of-the-medicare-back-brace-scam

Medicare fraud has cost the American public more than $60 billion, and durable medical equipment fraud is a significant contributor to that total. In April 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 24 people across the country for DME fraud involving more than $1.2 billion in losses.

And here's one more reason to care about durable medical equipment fraud: if you receive an unnecessary piece of equipment but don't report it, you may be stuck later. When the time comes that you actually need such a device, Medicare may not pay the bill for it, saying they already covered it years earlier.

Other Examples of DME Fraud:

- Suppliers who want you to use their doctors (who then prescribe unnecessary medical equipment)
- Doctors or suppliers who charge Medicare for items you never received
- Companies that bill for duplicate orders
- Older adults who allow their Medicare number to be used in exchange for money or other things In March 2022, BBB received complaint and/or Scam Tracker activity concerning BBB contacted Halo Florida DME, LLC and it's billing practices. Specifically, BBB has received a pattern of consumer complaint activity alleging phone calls that target senior citizens, from telemarketers misrepresenting themselves as Medicare representatives. The consumers receive unauthorized shipments of medical braces shortly after. Complaints also allege that they received phone calls that appear to be from Medicare, asking for their Medicare ID's and other sensitive information over the phone. They then receive medical brace products in the mail, however they did not authorize such orders to be placed.

In reviewing the complaint activity, BBB has determined that the sales practices used for most products makes no disclosure or has inadequate disclosure that customers are not actually speaking to Medicare but a company attempting to sell durable medical equipment, and would be billing Medicare for such orders.

BBB contacted the business in order to obtain their position on the compalint activity and request substantiation of the license required to offer services per their advertising. To date no reply has been received.