Page 10 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 13, 2026 Residents of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont urged to verify callers and coverage before sharing personal information A s residents compare health coverage during open enrollment, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Eastern New England is urging consumers to watch for impersonation calls, misleading insurance offers and attempts to steal personal information. The Federal Trade Commission warns that health insurance scams occur year-round but pick up during open enrollment. “Scammers know health coverage decisions can feel overwhelming, and they use that uncertainty to pressure people,” said BBB Eastern New England’s Chief Marketing & Sales Officer and Chief Spokesperson, Paula Fleming. “You don’t owe an unexpected caller your personal information. Hang up, find the official number yourself, and verify before you share anything.” What BBB data shows In the 2025 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, Healthcare/Medicaid/Medicare scams accounted for 0.8% of consumer scam reports. Within that category, 18.9% of people reporting an encounter said that they lost money. The median reported loss among those who lost money was $483. These figures reflect reports across the United States and Canada, not New England alone, and include more than open enrollment scams. Maine reports illustrate the tactics. In February 2026, a resident reported a call displaying UnitedHealthcare on caller ID that requested a birth date and medical information. In August 2025, another resident described pressure to buy health coverage after a caller requested identifying and credit card information. These are consumer accounts, not findings of fraud, and do not establish a current increase or a statewide loss total. Warning signs and ways to protect yourself Verify before sharing. Caller ID can be spoofed. Call the agency or insurer using its official website or the number on your insurance card before sharing Social Security, Medicare, insurance or financial information. Question pressure and payment demands. Threats of immediate cancellation, demands for gift cards or cryptocurrency or requests to pay for a new Medicare card are warning signs. Read the coverage details. A medical discount card or health care sharing arrangement is not the same as comprehensive health insurance. Get written information on benefits, exclusions, provider networks and total costs before enrolling. Use official enrollment help. Type the known Marketplace address directly into your browser. Avoid relying on a sponsored search result or a link in an unexpected text. Confirm agents and insurers with your state insurance regulator. Massachusetts adults spend more on lottery tickets than anywhere else in the US M assachusetts residents spent an average of $1,019 per adult on lottery tickets in fiscal 2025, more than residents of any other state, according to new research. Massachusetts recorded $5.94 billion in gross lottery ticket sales during the 2025 fiscal year, putting it at the top of a nationwide comparison of lottery spending per adult. The research, conducted by gambling experts JustGamblers. com, examined lottery sales across the 45 US states that operate lotteries. Researchers collected gross ticket sales figures from each lottery’s annual reports or financial statements and divided them by the adult population of the respective state. Across the country, the 45 lotteries generated a combined $105.22 billion in ticket sales, equivalent to $391 for every adult in the US. Massachusetts was comfortably ahead of second-placed Virginia, where lottery ticket sales amounted to $822.05 per adult. New Hampshire ranked third at $752.93, followed by Michigan at $745.73 and North Carolina at $745.15. Georgia took sixth place at $684.63 per adult, with Kentucky ($600.62), Maryland ($534.22), South Carolina ($520.10) and Pennsylvania ($494.95) completing the top 10. At the opposite end of the rankings, North Dakota had the lowest lottery ticket sales per adult, at just $44. Wyoming followed at $63, while New Mexico recorded $88. Florida, meanwhile, operated the largest lottery by overall sales, generating $9.13 billion during the fiscal year. However, it ranked 12th for spending per adult, demonstrating how total ticket sales and per-person spending can produce different state rankings. The figures measure gross lottery ticket sales relative to the adult population, rather than the amount individual residents actually spent. They also do not account for differences in lottery participation, household spending or the amount players received back in prizes. The findings highlight substantial differences in lottery sales across the country, with Massachusetts recording more than 23 times the per-adult figure reported in North Dakota. Jesper Kärrbrink, Director at Gambling experts JustGamblers.com, commented on the findings: “Every state lottery publishes its own sales, but the totals mean little until you set them against the number of adults in each state. Doing that shows how much spending on lottery tickets differs across the country, with adults in Massachusetts spending more than twice the national figure. A regional pattern worth commenting on is that in this data, six of the top nine states are in the South, showing that certain regions are more likely to try their luck.” Where to get trusted help in Massachusetts Use MAhealthconnector. org or call 877-623-6765 for Marketplace assistance. Massachusetts warns that some offers involve unlicensed plans or products that do not meet state coverage standards. Verify an agent or insurer, or raise a concern, with the Division of Insurance at 617-521-7794. The Attorney General’s Health Care Helpline is 617-963-2100. Marketplace coverage, Medicaid and Medicare are different programs; verify deadlines and requirements with the program that covers you. If you shared information or paid a caller Contact your insurer or benefits program immediately using a trusted number. If you paid, contact your bank or card issuer promptly to report suspected fraud and ask about stopping or disputing the payment. If personal information was exposed, visit IdentityTheft.gov for recovery steps. Medicare beneficiaries can verify concerns through Medicare. gov or 800-633-4227. Save voicemails, texts, receipts and the dates of calls. Report suspected scams at bbb.org/scamtracker and ReportFraud.ftc.gov, even if no money was lost. Search businesses at bbb.org for complaint and review information; those records can help inform your research but do not by themselves establish fraud. About BBB Eastern New England BBB Eastern New England serves Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont, helping consumers and businesses make informed marketplace decisions. Learn more at bbb.org. That refund may cost you; BBB warns, beware of fake help Scammers can know your details. That doesn’t make their offer legitimate. Special to The Advocate W hen you’ve lost money to a scam, an offer to recover it can feel like a lifeline. Scammers count on that hope. The recent $6.3 billion cryptocurrency theft at Binance also compromised data belonging to thousands of customers. Stolen information can help scammers identify potential targets and make fake recovery offers sound legitimate. Be cautious of unsolicited callers or messages promising to recover funds. How this scam works An unsolicited caller or message poses as a lawyer, government official or fraud department representative. They promise to recover your money — but first, you must pay a fee, cover a supposed “tax” or share account information. Using information from data breaches or other fraudsters, they might already know your name, account details or how much you lost. Knowing your details doesn’t make them trustworthy. Five ways to protect yourself • Don’t pay to get paid. An unsolicited recovery offer that requires an upfront fee is a red flag. Government agencies don’t charge you to investigate fraud. • Verify independently. If an unsolicited caller claims to represent an organization, end the call and contact the organization through its official app, the number on your monthly statement, or a website you know is genuine. BBB WARNS | SEE PAGE 17
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