Missouri Medicaid Audit & Compliance (MMAC) issued an alert to all enrolled providers regarding a recent increase in cybersecurity threats targeting healthcare organizations, including Medicaid providers.
We have received reports of malicious actors impersonating MMAC in fraudulent emails. These emails may falsely claim that your provider account is subject to “arrest and closure” unless a late “Account Fee” is paid. These messages are not legitimate and are part of a phishing campaign designed to steal sensitive information and funds.
Key Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Practice:
- Beware of Phishing Emails:
- Do not click on suspicious links or download attachments from unknown senders.
- Verify the sender’s email address and domain carefully. Official MMAC communications will come from a @dss.mo.gov domain.
- Be cautious of urgent or threatening language designed to provoke panic or immediate action.
- Look for signs of fraud such as misspellings, poor grammatical structure, and incorrect or unfamiliar acronyms. These are common indicators of phishing attempts.
- Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) Requests:
- In general, MMAC will never initiate EFT changes via email.
- MMAC will never provide account numbers, routing numbers, or other sensitive banking information in an email.
- As part of the verification process, MMAC will ask providers to disclose old/closed account information. We allow for partial account and routing number disclosures such as XXXXX789.
- Always verify EFT change requests through a known MMAC contact or phone number.
- System Administrator Changes:
- Review and restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only.
- Do not respond to unsolicited requests to change system administrator credentials or access levels.
- General Best Practices:
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible.
- Keep your software and systems updated with the latest security patches.
- Train staff to recognize and report suspicious activity.
If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from MMAC, do not respond. Instead, forward the message to MMAC.providerenrollment@dss.mo.gov and contact our office directly at (573) 751-3399 to verify its authenticity.
Your vigilance is critical in protecting Missouri’s Medicaid program and the sensitive data of MO HealthNet providers and beneficiaries.
Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to cybersecurity.