CARMEL — Ken Wendeln is fed up with scammers calling his cell phone.
“I’m sick and tired of people taking up my time on things that are not real,” said Wendeln.
The Carmel man received a phone call from a collection agent about an outstanding bill for blood work.
But this didn’t sound like a scam. It sounded legitimate.
“I knew that I am getting blood tests,” said Wendeln. “I knew that was real. They said I owed $594 from a company called US Diagnostics.”
When he pressed for details, like which doctor or the date of the visit, the agent wouldn’t give him more information.
“She was very harsh about saying no, that’s all I’ve got,” said Wendeln. “She said it's overdue and you need to pay it."
Wendeln said the agent also threatened legal action.
“If I didn't pay, I was going to be taken into judgment,” said Wendeln.
Wendeln and his wife, Diane, checked with their insurance companies and doctors but no one had a record of an outstanding bill for blood work.
"There's a lot of medical billing out there that can be extremely confusing,” said Wendeln. “We couldn't find anything. We traced back to all of our appointments and the dates and everything to make sure we weren't in the wrong."
Wendeln said he called the collection agency back and they asked for his credit card number.
“I said 'Can I send you a check?'” said Wendeln. “They gave me a post office box in St. Augustine, Florida to send the check."
The Carmel man said at that point, his antenna went way up.
“I said maybe I should contact you,” said Wendeln.
WRTV Investigates did some checking and found US Diagnostics is a legitimate Chicago company.
We called them and they told us the phone calls like the one Wendeln received have nothing to do with their business. In fact, scammers have been using their business name since COVID.
WRTV Investigates also asked the Better Business Bureau about the blood test bill calls.
“We call this a medical bill scam,” said Jennifer Adamany, spokesperson at the BBB Serving Central Indiana.
In this version of the scam, you get a call about owing money on a medical bill.
But the bill is fake. The blood tests never happened in the first place.
Adamany said it’s a red flag if the caller threatens legal action, is vague about details, and if they call out of the blue.
“It’s a red flag if you get a bill and you’re not familiar with it, especially if it’s a company you don’t normally associate with,” said Adamany.
WRTV Investigates called the number that called Ken Wendeln, the one claiming to be a collection agency.
“Is there a manager I can speak with?” asked WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney.
The agent told Kenney all the managers left early.
“Where are you guys based out of?” asked Kenney.
The agent hung up the phone.
The number they used to call Wendeln was an 812 area code, however, the BBB warns you can’t trust the number on caller ID.
“You can’t trust them nowadays, because they can spoof numbers,” said Adamany. “Scammers these days like to call people with numbers similar to their own area codes. Because you’re more likely to pick it up and think it’s someone you know.”
The BBB says the Wendelns did a lot of things right— they talked to each other about the call and they did their research before paying.
Thankfully, they never mailed the check.
“These are very clever people,” said Wendeln. “It would be easy for someone to buy into this and say oh i missed this one and just make a payment.
WRTV also checked with the Federal Trade Commission.
A recent report found older adults lose more money to fraud than older people each year.
So far in 2024, people ages 70-79 reported a median loss to fraud of $1,000 with ages 80 and over reporting a median loss of $1,500. In comparison, ages 40-49 had a median loss of $500.
BBB Tips on Avoiding Medical Billing Scams
- Verify the claims. If someone claims you owe money, ask for the details. Any legitimate collections company should be able to tell you to whom you owe money and when you received services. Consider it a red flag if they aren't forthcoming with this information. In any case, it's a good idea to hang up and contact your doctor's office, hospital billing department, or insurance company directly and find out if you really do owe money.
- Look up the customer service number. Do an internet search for the phone number that contacted you or the customer service number on the letter you received. The number should be registered to an official business associated with your doctor or hospital. If it isn't, consider it a red flag. Keep an eye out for reports from others who identify the number as part of a scam.
- Don't give in to scare tactics. Scammers often try to make you feel like there will be extreme consequences if you don't pay them immediately. Don't be intimidated by a stranger who contacted you out of the blue. Legitimate businesses won't threaten you if you have questions or want to verify the information before making a payment.
- Guard your personal information carefully. If someone calls you unexpectedly and asks you to "verify" your personal information, think twice. Be sure you're talking to someone you know and trust before divulging information that could be used to commit identity theft, even if the caller sounds professional.
