Medicare open enrollment is still more than a month away, but scammers are already targeting seniors with a flood of phone calls, texts and emails.<\/p>\n
Some try to steal Medicare numbers using deceiving warnings about incomplete benefit information, while others promise free benefits or new Medicare cards.<\/p>\n
Scams or not, the sheer number of calls can be overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Watch as a woman shows what it’s like getting Medicare calls every day:<\/p>\n
Warning signs of a fake Medicare call<\/p>\n
One woman receives more than a dozen calls in a day <\/p>\n
Delores Reed, a recently retired Medicare beneficiary, said she gets Medicare-related calls several times a day \u2014 even though she is on the ‘Do Not Call’ registry.<\/p>\n
The callers, she said, never identify who they represent.<\/p>\n
“I personally think they are a scam. If you are with an insurance company, the first thing you are going to say is ‘I’m calling from such and such insurance company,'” she said.<\/p>\n
Reed worries other seniors will feel pressured into giving away personal information.<\/p>\n
“I definitely think they are picking out seniors to target,” Reed said.<\/p>\n
The common signs of\u00a0a Medicare scam <\/p>\n
Amy Nofziger, senior director of victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network<\/a>, shared several red flags consumers should know:<\/p>\n Medicare will not call, text, or email asking you to confirm your Medicare number.<\/p>\n “Medicare knows your Medicare number,” Nofziger said. “They’re not going to be calling you, texting you, or emailing you, saying that they need to confirm your Medicare number.”<\/p>\n Offers for a new or upgraded Medicare card are also a warning sign.<\/p>\n “They’re never going to be telling you that you can get an upgraded card or a plastic card or a gold card is one thing that we’ve heard recently,” Nofziger said.<\/p>\n Promises of free gifts, genetic testing or medical equipment should also raise red flags.<\/p>\n “All of that will go through your physician. If you need any of that, your physician will order that for you,” she said.<\/p>\n The threat extends beyond phone calls. More than 40 health systems recently warned patients about a “MyChart Medicare Kit” scam circulating through texts and emails, as reported by Becker’s Healthcare<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you receive a suspicious email or text, delete it. If someone asks for your Medicare card number over the phone, hang up.<\/p>\n To report a suspicious call, contact Medicare<\/a> directly at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). For additional support, call the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline<\/a> at 877-908-3360.<\/p>\n Reed has one last message for the people on the other end of the phone. <\/p>\n “I would like you to not call me again please,” she said, so you don’t waste your money.<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n “Don’t Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”).<\/p>\n _______________________________________<\/p>\n Follow John:<\/p>\n