The Maryland Attorney General Office’s Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU), of the Consumer Protection Division, is warning Marylanders that scammers may target consumers interested in signing up for health insurance during Maryland Health Connection’s Open Enrollment. Maryland Health Connection is the health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can compare and enroll in qualified health insurance plans and learn if they qualify for financial assistance to lower insurance costs. The open enrollment period ends December 15.
In the past, scammers have targeted consumers by using copycat websites, similar in appearance to Maryland Health Connection’s website, to steal consumers’ personal information. One consumer’s online search for “health insurance Maryland” landed them on a Maryland Health Connection copycat website. The consumer entered their personal information, realizing only later that the website was not authentic. The copycat website was shut down, but their personal information was already in the wrong hands.
Don’t let this happen to you! Consumers should go directly to www.marylandhealthconnection.gov to apply for health insurance online. Avoid clicking on links or pop-up windows that promise to redirect you to Maryland Health Connection’s website. Consumers should check the website address (URL) in the top of the browser window to ensure that it starts with “https://” and ends with “.gov” before beginning an online application (see the image attached to this post). You should never send personal information through a website if the address does not begin with “https”—the “s” at the end means that your confidential information is secure.
Report suspected fraudulent websites to the HEAU at 410-528-1840, toll free in Maryland at 1-877-261-8807, or by email at [email protected]. If you have given personal information to someone that you now suspect was illegitimate, or through a suspected fraudulent website, contact the Consumer Protection Division’s Identity Theft Unit at (410) 576-6491 or [email protected].
