Emerging hospice fraud targeting Medicare recipients

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is issuing this Public Service Announcement to warn the public of an emerging hospice fraud scheme that targets vulnerable Medicare recipients who are not in need of hospice services.

Scammers are enrolling Medicare patients in hospice care for services they do not need or for services that are not provided. Enrollment can also occur without the patient’s knowledge, allowing the scammers to bill Medicare for a patient that is not present in the hospice facility.

Some scammers use door-to-door solicitation tactics and offer free home services such as house cleaning and meal delivery, which are conditional on using a specific hospice.