Get a call about changes to your Medicare card? It's a scam
Imposter scammers are targeting Medicare enrollees, claiming they need to update their Medicare card, but it's really just a ploy to steal their personal information.
Kevin Summer said he was initially suspicious when he received a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The Burlington County, New Jersey, man is a new retiree and recently enrolled in the federal health insurance program, which covers millions of beneficiaries in the Delaware Valley.
Summer said the caller was persistent, asking him to confirm his Medicare number.
"She was saying that it's needed because of all the changes going on with Social Security and Medicare," Summer said.
Summer said he eventually relented and confirmed his number. He was told a new card would be in the mail.
"So I hang up and went back to watching my ballgame, and on a commercial, I got to thinking, 'I wonder if I did wrong,'" he said. "That's when I called you."
Fearing he'd been scammed, Summer contacted In Your Corner asking for help. We referred him to 1-800-MEDICARE, the agency's official phone number, where you can report a fraud call and request a new number if you fear yours has been compromised.
The or sell you a plan over the phone unless you call them first. The agency says to guard your Medicare card as you would a debit or credit card.
The that the only time Medicare issued new cards was in 2018, when it stopped using its beneficiaries' Social Security numbers as account numbers.
The agency is not issuing new cards now.
Criminals use stolen Medicare information to file fake claims for equipment, tests or medications and then cash in on the reimbursement, .
In extreme cases, AARP said scammers have even enrolled beneficiaries in hospice without their knowledge — and when they aren't terminally ill — and then collected payment from Medicare for services that were never delivered.
Bottom line, if anyone calls claiming any of the following about your card, it's a scam, :
- You are getting a new, plastic Medicare card
- Medicare is switching to a card with a chip in it
- It's a new year, so you need a new card
- You need a black and white card
- They need your Medicare number to see if you have received your new one yet
- They need you to verify your Medicare number so they can confirm you have the correct card
You can .
You can report suspected fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or . You can also report a suspected scam to the .
Do you have a money question, a consumer issue, or a scam story you want to share? Email InYourCorner@cbs.com.
