When Kristin Wallace received a new D.C. medical identification card in the mail this week, she didn’t expect it to lead her to a scam website with adult content.
Wallace moved back to the District in July after living in Los Angeles for the past seven years. Unemployed and moving in with her mom, she figured she’d have to start from scratch to get health insurance.
When Wallace applied for Medicaid in early August, officials told her the renewal process would take roughly 45 days. So when she opened an official letter from the Department of Health Care Finance on Sunday, she hoped progress had been made.
“I’ve just been looking for any communication, because I haven’t had cards sent to me in the past, however many years I’ve been enrolled,” she said.
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Wallace, who said she prefers to fill out forms online, typed in the web address printed on the back of the ID to log in to the online portal, only to be sent to a phishing website featuring a scantily clad female cartoon character instead.
“I just typed in the address that’s there, and it took me to — I’m not sure what language it was — but some Eastern European big-titty website,” Wallace said.
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After Wallace quickly exited her browser, she began calling officials listed on the ID for help. For most of them, Wallace said, it was the first time they had heard about the issue, and they couldn’t provide much assistance.
In a statement sent to The Washington Sun, DHCF apologized to residents, providers and beneficiaries for the error and said it is currently working with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer to prevent any future issues.
“No DHCF systems were compromised, and no beneficiary or provider information was exposed,” the statement read. “The incorrect domain in question is no longer used or owned by DC Government, and the URL was not correctly updated on some material.”
Officials said the correct website is medicaid.dc.gov
Wallace shared her experience on Reddit on Monday morning. The 34-year-old said she was relieved she was young enough to notice the issue, and was worried for older people who may be more susceptible to the scam.
“I’m glad that I’m a mostly competent 30-something-year-old and I don’t know how many elderly folks or folks with mental disabilities greater than mine are opening this and potentially dying because they aren’t getting healthcare,” Wallace said.
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