ALBANY, N.Y., April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The New York StateWide Senior Action Council (StateWide), a 54-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs and well-being of our State’s more than 3.6 million senior citizens, today announced its Medicare Fraud of the Month for April: Remote Patient Monitoring Scams.

The StateWide Fraud of the Month is a component of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), the definitive resource for New York State’s older adults and caregivers to detect, prevent, and report healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse. StateWide is New York’s grantee/administrator for this Federal Program.

Maria Alvarez, Executive Director of StateWide, explains, “Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is a legitimate service that allows your doctor to track your health using devices like blood pressure cuffs or glucose monitors from home. But scammers are exploiting this service to bill Medicare for care never needed or received.”

How the Scam Works:

• Seniors receive a call, text, or online ad offering a “free” medical device.
• The caller may claim to be from Medicare, a pharmacy, or a doctor’s office.
• They ask for Medicare numbers or personal information.
• Seniors may then be signed up for monitoring without knowledge or medical need.
• Medicare is then billed for:
  • Equipment not requested.
  • Set up or training that never took place.
  • Monthly monitoring that never occurs.

How Seniors Can Protect Against These Scams:

• Never share personal or medical information with unexpected callers.
• Talk to personal doctors first before accepting any new device or service.
• Refuse deliveries of equipment not ordered.
• Review Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) and Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) for unfamiliar charges.

“If seniors have been contacted by a scammer or suspect Medicare fraud, they should report it to the NYS Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)! Call our Helpline! Contact the New York State Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 800-333-4374, or visit www.nysenior.org. We have trained counselors to help Medicare beneficiaries in the fight against Medicare fraud,” Alvarez concluded.

StateWide also provides information and educational presentations, assistance regarding any Medicare questions, plan comparisons, appeals, billing issues and patients’ rights to all seniors throughout New York State.

It is estimated that Medicare fraud costs taxpayers over $60 billion dollars nationally per year. To help combat this illicit industry StateWide announced its Fraud of the Month program in 2022 to highlight these scams being perpetrated on the State’s seniors.

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SOURCE New York StateWide Senior Action Council, Inc.