It seems that Medicare Open Enrollment is a popular time for scammers that want to steal your identity. Medicare is pushing hard to help people pay attention and take precautions. Their top 5 recommendations are:
- Protect your Medicare Number – treat it just like you would treat any credit card number!
- Check your Medicare statements – look for any charges that do not make sense. Make sure you are not seeing any charges for equipment or services that you did not use!
- Do not accept offers of money or gifts for free medical care (scammers use this ruse to get your Medicare credentials!)
- Report any suspected instances of fraud or misuse of your Medicare account: Report Suspicious Medicare Activity Here
Starting in April 2018 through April 2019, Medicare will be mailing new Medicare cards. Medicare will no longer use your Social Security number as your unique identifier. You will be given a new number that is unique to you instead of your Social Security Number. This is being done automatically, you don’t need to do anything!
Medicare will NEVER ask you for your personal information! If you get a call from someone that says they are from Medicare and want you to “verify” by providing them personal information – get their name and phone number and report the incident to Medicare immediately.
You can learn more about fighting Medicare fraud here: Help Fight Medicare Fraud
