Senior citizens continue to be an effective bulwark against fraud, as Senior Medicare Patrol activities led to $72,000 in actual Medicare and Medicaid recoveries in 2012, a 279 percent increase from the $19,000 in recoveries in 2011. The numbers were contained in a recent OIG report, which also said SMP activities saved beneficiaries $134,000 in 2012, a 306 percent increase from the $33,000 in savings from the previous year. 

OIG said SMP activities in 2012 led to an overall $6 million in expected and actual recoveries. The SMP has been operating since 1997, and SMP programs are currently active in all 50 states as well as D.C, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.

OIG said the recovery figures associated with SMP activities may be higher than indicated in the report, since OIG can't track all of the fraud referrals made by Medicare beneficiaries who've been trained to detect fraud by an SMP program.  Since 1997, SMP activities have led to $105 million in Medicare and Medicaid recoveries.