PHOENIX — With a swab of your cheek you can get insight about ancestors, pinpoint ethnicities, even estimate the likelihood of disease.
Now officials with the US Department of Health and Human Service are warning, your genetic information could be getting into the wrong hands.
Scammers are using telemarketing, health fairs, even door to door visits, to convince Medicare patients around the country to give up their DNA.
The agency warns that scammers use the "information for identity theft or fraudulent billing purposes.
In our state, Department of Economic Security officials confirm they're "aware that this is occurring in Arizona," and are distributing" warning flyers to agencies that serve senior citizens.
Here's what you need to know:
-Don't consent to testing at senior centers, health fairs or even in your home
-Keep your Medicare and social security number to yourself
-Any testing not ordered by your actual doctor won't be covered and could be a scam
It's information too important to let scammers take it away without a fight.
