You might have heard me explain to protect your Medicare ID# on your Medicare cards.
Your Medicare ID# is like your Social Security ID#. The same importance.
Scammers will randomly make phone calls to sell you something. These items could be durable medical equipment, covid tests, genetic testing, and more. They will tell those eligible for Medicare that Medicare will cover these items. WELL … there is more to this story!
Medicare won’t ever call you without scheduling an appointment ahead of time, says the attached article.
It is amazing how these scammers find you. They purchase marketing lists.
“Scammers are using the COVID public health emergency, as a way to get to people,” Kinney says. “We’ve heard cases of scammers calling Medicaid beneficiaries and telling them they need to pay the [scammer] or caller so they don’t lose Medicaid benefits but to also get the [beneficiaries’] personal information.”
Here are the 8 scams described in the attached article to watch out for:
1. A new round of COVID fraud
2. Bills for diabetes supplies
3. Flimsy medical equipment
4. Bogus genetic testing
5. Hospice fraud
6. Medicaid ‘unwinding’
7. Next-generation Medicare cards
8. Telemedicine sessions
If you find a suspicious charge on your Summary Notice or receive a call from someone claiming to be from Medicare, you can report the suspected fraud to Medicare or call 800-633-4227.
You can also contact your state’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) or call 877-808-2468. SMP volunteers can answer questions about potential scams and help you report the fraud to Medicare and the HHS Office of the Inspector General, which investigates Medicare fraud.
READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/most-common-medicare-scams/