Obamacare: Scammers Seizing the Opportunity

Chronicle Staff | Houston Chronicle | July 15, 2013

Scammers apparently taking advantage of people’s confusion over the Affordable Care Act are calling to offer “Obamacare cards” and threatening to throw them in jail unless they buy insurance, according to McClatchy new service.

Fraudsters see widespread confusion over the health law as an opportunity to steal Americans’ credit cards, Social Security numbers and other personal information, consumer advocates and government officials say.

“This is the huge, new government program. There’s no doubt in my mind that the fraudsters view it as an opportunity to rip people off,” said Lois Greisman, associate director for the Federal Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices.

...Meantime, Republicans again are attacking the health care law, hoping implementation flaws will help undermine public confidence in Democrats who passed it.