Scammers can come up with a million reasons on why you should share your personal information with them. One of the most common is they need the info to “verify your identity,” or, in the case of recent scams involving Medicare, to offer you plastic Medicare cards.
Don’t fall for it, the Federal Trade Commission warns.
In a blog post, the FTC said scammers are contacting people on the phone to ask for their Medicare number in exchange for new plastic cards. But Medicare doesn’t call people to verify information and its cards are paper, not plastic and they’re free. Other scammers claim they will send Medicare-approved back or knee braces if you will give them your number.
Those are scams, too.
“If your doctor wants you to have equipment, they’ll talk with you about it at an appointment, not have someone call unexpectedly to offer it to you,” the FTC’s blog post stated.
The bottom line is you should protect your Medicare number like any other personal information, the FTC said. You should also check your monthly Medicare statement to make sure details about recent visits, services, and products match your records and receipts. If not, or if your statement shows double charges, contact your doctor or health plan, or, if you suspect fraud, your state Senior Medicare Patrol. You can see the listing for each state here.
Source: You get a call from Medicare offering you a plastic card: What you should do
