Don’t become a victim of Medicare card fraud

Have you heard that Medicare is sending beneficiaries new cards soon? The target date is not until April 2018, but scammers are already taking advantage of the confusion as a way to commit fraud.

Currently, most people’s Social Security number is their Medicare card number, which makes collecting Medicare numbers an easy target for scammers to steal your identity, open new credit cards or take out loans in your name. The new Medicare card number, however, will not be tied to your Social Security number and will provide more security.

How do the scams work?

Some scammers call beneficiaries claiming to be with Medicare and ask you to confirm your current Medicare number before you can get your new card. Others say there is a charge for the new card and are collecting beneficiaries’ personal information. Here are the facts: There is no charge for the new Medicare card and Medicare will never call you for your information. They already have it.

If you receive any calls or suspicious solicitations, hang up and call the Washington State Senior Medicare Patrol with our Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program at 1-800-562-6900.

We can also connect you with a SHIBA advisor in your area if you need help with your Medicare benefits.