The opioid prescription pill epidemic may not have reached its peak yet, but concern about scams by unscrupulous rehab operators could hurt efforts to expand the number of addicts in treatment.

Most notoriously Kenneth Chatman, a two-bit swindler already convicted on federal charges for credit card fraud, took advantage of Florida substance use disorder treatment regulations to run a string of fake substance use disorder centers and sober homes, bilking insurance companies for fake “daily” urine tests, encouraging continued substance abuse and relapses, and even using female patients for prostitution. Some patients died of overdoses. He’s been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.

Chatman’s not the only one. Florida is known as the rehab capital of America, and it didn’t become that by only catering to state residents. On the contrary, Chatman and other scammers look for addicts from throughout the country, such as the Northeast and the Midwest, where sunny Palm Beach and other similar areas seem like a great place to detox and get healthy. As many as 75 percent of the patients were from other states than Florida, which allowed Chatman to charge the insurance companies much higher rates.

Dave Aronberg, Florida State Attorney for Palm Beach County, says many sober houses are unregulated and actually count on patients with private insurance relapsing because it means an additional big insurance payout. It’s not just a problem in Florida however. There are scammers, body brokers, who recruit victims from everywhere.

Like anything else, you need to be a careful and smart shopper for rehab. Here’s some advice from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey about choosing a substance use disorder treatment center:

• “Be wary of unsolicited referrals to out-of-state treatment facilities.”
• “Be careful about giving your personal information – including your social security number or insurance number – to a recruiter, unless you can confirm that the person is employed by a medical provider or insurance company.” (This is good advice in general.)
• “Be wary of anyone offering to pay for your insurance coverage. They can stop paying your premiums at any time, which will result in the cancellation of your insurance.”
• “If someone is offering to arrange travel or cover insurance costs for treatment, call the treatment facility or your insurance company to confirm that the person is an employee.”
• “If you accept an offer by someone to pay for travel to an out-of-state clinic, make sure you have a plan and the means to pay for a trip back home.”