On its now-shut-down website, the company promised the “ultimate medical savings product” for people looking to pay bills not covered by insurance.
HOUSTON — A team of FBI agents seized boxes of files, computers and other evidence on Thursday from a Houston-based company accused of defrauding thousands of customers.
KHOU 11 Investigates first exposed consumer complaints in February against Health Matching Account Services, or HMA, which has offices along Woodway Drive between Sage Road and South Post Oak Lane.
On its now-shut-down website, the company promised the “ultimate medical savings product” for people looking to pay bills not covered by insurance. HMA claimed that if customers made monthly contributions into their account, the company would double that money over time.
But customers like Alvaro Ledesma said he put nearly $5,000 into his account but routinely had trouble getting claims paid. He added that he felt “held hostage” because of fine print in the contract stating that if customers failed to pay their monthly contributions, their account would be terminated and the account balance forfeited.
“They’re just forcing you to do something that you don’t want to do,” Ledesma said. “Now that the FBI is involved, that’s very good news for me.”
Alex Loftus is a Chicago-based attorney who filed a class action lawsuit against HMA.
“There was never any matching,” Loftus said. “It was entirely fraudulent. It was a false promise.”
Loftus added that the scope of the alleged scheme is massive.
“There were approximately 40,000 customers in HMA,” Loftus said. “That would mean that $200 million went into HMA, of which very little apparently was paid out in claims.”
Loftus said he has been working with federal law enforcement, and since KHOU 11 Investigates’ initial story, company insiders have come forward.
“Thanks to your reporting, people were very aware of the work I was doing, and an employee that was terminated came to me,” Loftus said.
“And I was able to connect that employee with the Department of Justice, and then she actually gave them the keys to the facility so they could raid it,” Loftus said.
The FBI’s involvement gives customers like Ledesma new hope of getting at least some of their money back.
“Before I had doubt. Now I’m hoping, yes,” he said.
KHOU 11 Investigates requested comment from HMA and its attorneys defending the civil lawsuit, but has yet to hear back. The company previously said that it denies the allegations in the civil lawsuit and will vigorously defend itself in court.
An FBI spokesperson said the agency is prohibited from responding to routine inquiries until the government shutdown is over.
Loftus said he was informed that HMA employees were told to go home after the FBI arrived and no longer have jobs.
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