I received a call from this number yesterday regarding a recent visit to the emergency room. It was a strange message about the government paying for my bill.

Someone from this number left a message on my answering machine that used my name and asked that I return the call. They mentioned they were offering "government assistance", about which I had not inquired.

I had a patient who stated the same thing about receiving a call stating that they were trying to help her pay her bills.  When researching the paperwork further that she received in the mail, it was from a company ECI (http://www.ecidallas.com/).  Basically, they exist to help hospitals get money by applying for any qualifying programs.  This is very common, but I can't testify how reputable this company is since the hospital I work for uses another business.

I got recording beginning with "If you or anyone in your household" have unpaid medical bills, the "government" may be able to help you...It showed unknown on caller ID.  Have not called yet but do have unpaid hospital bill.  What is this??  Any information from anyone???

I got a call from them. Thank you Lamet for posting what you did. I do not answer calls from anyone I do not know, so I did not answer the call. A guy left a message (It sounded like a recording) stating that the government could pay up to 100% of my medical bills.

I left out, that these people are who call you BEFORE you get sent to collections. It's a screening process you can do in person, not some hocus pocus fake government grant... they say government financial assistance because the help is funded by the government

This is actually legit. I am a cancer patient with no insurance and when I was admitted for 23 days when I found out I had cancer, but no insurance as I was laid off a month prior, they called me a couple of weeks later. They got me onto a health program that covered ALL of my medical. They help people with the process of either TANF, Medicaid, or county indigent programs. They are located in Richardson Texas and I personally met with someone. If you need help and are uninsured please give them a chance to help you. I thought it was a scam as well. Here is the website http://www.ecidallas.com/service/
I am so thankful for these people, without them I would spend every bit of the money I get monthly on prescriptions and Dr visits. Even if you do not qualify for medicaid there is help. This isn't some grant nor do they ask you for your ss# etc over the phone. Ask to meet with a social worker and they will set you up with an appointment.

sounds like the GRANT SCAM AGAIN - THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT ANYTHING AND  EVERYTHING WILL BE COVERED BY A GOVERNMENT GRANT.  

Government Grant Scams
The "free money" scam has been around almost as long as the human species.
It has more variations than a bulldog has wrinkles but you can count on one thing: the government (any government) does not simply give money away to individuals. Anyone who tells you differently has larceny in his heart.
If you give him your bank account number, he will soon have your funds in his pocket.
It does no good to list all of the names used by these bunko artists because a.) they change all the time and b.) every single free-money government-grant offer is a scam. Period.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/grant_scam_ads.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_alerts/grant.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/ftc_stimulus_scam.html

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE      
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.shtm

?Free Government Grants?: Don?t Take Them For Grant-ed
?Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!?
Sometimes, it?s an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a ?free grant? to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. Other times, it?s a phone call supposedly from a ?government? agency or some other organization with an official sounding name. In either case, the claim is the same: your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted, and you?ll never have to pay the money back.
But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation?s consumer protection agency, says that ?money for nothing? grant offers usually are scams, whether you see them in your local paper or a national magazine, or hear about them on the phone.
Some scam artists advertise ?free grants? in the classifieds, inviting readers to call a toll-free number for more information. Others are more bold: they call you out of the blue. They lie about where they?re calling from, or they claim legitimacy using an official-sounding name like the ?Federal Grants Administration.? They may ask you some basic questions to determine if you ?qualify? to receive a grant. FTC attorneys say calls and come-ons for free money invariably are rip offs.
Grant scammers generally follow a script: they congratulate you on your eligibility, then ask for your checking account information so they can ?deposit your grant directly into your account,? or cover a one-time ?processing fee.? The caller may even reassure you that you can get a refund if you?re not satisfied. In fact, you?ll never see the grant they promise; they will disappear with your money.
The FTC says following a few basic rules can keep consumers from losing money to these ?government grant? scams:
    Don?t give out your bank account information to anyone you don?t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don?t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.
    Don?t pay any money for a ?free? government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a ?free? government grant, it isn?t really free. A real government agency won?t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded ? or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
    Look-alikes aren?t the real thing. Just because the caller says he?s from the ?Federal Grants Administration? doesn?t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch ? or not.
    Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they?re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
    Take control of the calls you receive. If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visit www.donotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.
    File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov, or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
September 2006


Feds: Scammers Falsely "Guaranteed" Government Grants
Court halts operators' deceptive pitches for grant writing book and services


By James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 24, 2009

A federal judge has stopped an operation from falsely claiming that it could help consumers secure a "$25,000 Grant" -- guaranteed -- from the U.S. government.
The case is part of a Federal Trade Commission crackdown on scammers trying to capitalize on the economic downturn by targeting people facing financial hardship.
In the complaint the FTC, jointly with the attorneys general of Kansas, Minnesota, and North Carolina, charged that Grant Writers Institute, LLC and its related entities (together, GWI) falsely told consumers that they were eligible for grants as part of the recently announced economic stimulus package .
According to the complaint, the false and deceptive claims by GWI violate federal law, state consumer protection laws, and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. The complaint seeks a court order permanently stopping the defendants' illegal conduct and forcing them to return money to consumers injured by the scheme.
"Stamping out grant fraud and other types of schemes that take advantage of consumers in dire financial shape continues to be one of the Federal Trade Commission's highest priorities," said David Vladeck, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. "There is no such thing as a guaranteed grant. But to consumers in financial trouble, the chance for extra income -- guaranteed or otherwise -- can unfortunately be a huge draw."
The FTC says since at least 2007, GWI has mass mailed postcards to consumers across the country falsely claiming that the consumers "are Guaranteed a $25,000 Grant from the U.S. Government." Consumers who call the number are pitched a $59 book titled "Professional Grant Writer 'The Definitive Guide to Grant Writing Success.'"
The company's telemarketers falsely claim that the book will explain how to get government grants  -- including the "guaranteed" $25,000 grant. GWI and its North Carolina-based telemarketers, also named as defendants in the complaint, then call consumers who have bought the book, trying to get them to pay hundreds of dollars or more for grant research, writing, or coaching services, falsely claiming a 70 percent success rate in securing grant funding.
In reality, few, if any consumers ever receive any grant money.
The Commission contends that in addition to falsely claiming consumers were "guaranteed" to receive grants, GWI used the current government stimulus package to make its pitch. For example, when consumers called the number on the mass-mailed postcard, they heard a recording that said, "If you've been reading the papers you know that recently our government released $700 billion into the private sector. What you probably don't know is that there is another $300 billion that must be given away this year to people just like you."
The recording continues, "And if you're one of the lucky few who knows how to find and apply for these grants, you will receive a check for $25,000 or more, and we guarantee it . . . If you don't get a check for $25,000 or more, you pay nothing."
The following were named as defendants:
? Affiliate Strategies, Inc.;
? Landmark Publishing Group, LLC (d/b/a G.F. Institute and Grant Funding Institute);
? Grant Writers Institute, LLC;
? Answer Customers, LLC;
? Apex Holdings International, LLC;
? Brett Blackman, individually and as an officer, manager, and/or member of Affiliate Strategies, Inc., Landmark Publishing Group, LLC, Grant Writers Institute, LLC, Answer Customers, LLC, and Apex Holdings International, LLC;
? Jordan Sevy, individually and as a manager of Landmark Publishing Group, LLC;
? James Rulison, individually and as president of Answer Customers, LLC, all located in Kansas.
The complaint also names the following North Carolina entities as defendants:
? Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC (d/b/a Grant Writers Research Network);
? Martin Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC; and
? Alicia Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC.



Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/07 ... l#ixzz0NENGCoRV

I got the same call . it must be some sort of scam.  they said the government would pay 100% of hospital bills. don't trust them

I RECIEVED A CALL FROM THIS TEL 1-800-452-6343 FOR MY HUSBAND AND SINCE IT WAS MY CELL# AND MY HUSBAND THAT THEY WERE REQUESTING FOR, I CALLED THEM! THE LADY I SPOKE TO DIDN'T EVEN GIVE HER NAME ALL SHE SAID ECI AND WHEN I ASKED HER WHAT WAS THIS CALL ABOUT SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE GOVERMENT ASSISTANCE TO HELP WITH MEDICAL BILLS AND I TOLD HER MY HUSBAND HAS MEDICAL INSURANCE! HOW DID YOU THEY GET MY TEL# AND SHE SAID THAT SHE COULDN'T DISCUSS IT WITH ME BECAUSE IT WAS MY HUSBANDS CASE AND SHE COULDN'T DISCLOSE ANY INFORMATION I SAID TO HER YOU CALLED MY CELL I THAT MEANS YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT'S THIS ABOUT SHE STAY QUITE AND HUNG UP ON ME!

I got a call from a number which appeared as "unknown" on my caller ID.  They asked for the parent of my grandaughter.  I asked why they were calling and they said they were referred by the hospital that she was admitted to, to offer government assistance to help with medical bills.  She said they were ECI and gave me the number 1-800-452-6343.  I think this is a scam.

I got a call from a recording that only showed 972 in the caller ID so I was suspicious. I had a trip to an emergancy room a week prior and this number only a 972 (that is an area code for dallas) is telling me to call IF I need help with un-paid medical bills. Ironically the medical bills are paid in full as there was no serious issue. but they are telling me to call :800 452 6343

They left message to speak to the parent of, then she corrected herself and spoke my name (the parent). When I tried to call is said to wait for the next agent. There is no reason for an agent to call about my children, they have no accounts.

They call asking for my niece who is not here. Then, they say it is to help her go to school. When asked if my niece called them, they say no. When asked what kind of school, they hang up. These must be scammers.