Scammers May Be Using DNA Testing to Defraud Medicare and Steal Identities
State authorities warn that DNA testers have targeted poor neighborhoods and senior communities.
A DNA test kit.
Photographer: Cayce Clifford/BloombergAuthorities in several states are warning about an alleged scam in which people visit senior-living communities and low-income neighborhoods, offering to perform DNA tests and collecting information from people in government health programs.
The alleged DNA-testing scams appear to be a new twist on an old tactic, in which people are tricked into giving away personal information or participating in medical services they don’t need. Perpetrators of such schemes can bill the government for unneeded medical tests and procedures, or use the information they collect — such as Medicare and Medicaid identification data — to commit identity theft and fraud.