A Medicare Scam Is Targeting Your Grandparents – Protect Them
MEDICARE FRAUD AND SCAMS
I hope you talk to your parents and grandparents on a regular basis. One because you never know how long you're going to have the opportunity, and the other, to help protect them from clever scammers that are out there trying to do just that.
My parents get calls daily from various scammers, and luckily for me, they are very savvy when it comes to this. But one scam is very tricky and it involves Medicare.
Medicare scammers are calling people that have Medicare cards and telling them that they need to get their new cards. Since most people don't understand how the cards work, many think this call sounds legitimate.
HOW TO KNOW WHAT'S REAL AND WHAT'S NOT
The scammers ask you to verify your name and also tell you that you need to get your new Medicare cards when in actuality, the real Medicare will NOT call you about this.
They are very good at asking for details that you could put you in danger. They typically will ask you, "Are you, John Doe?" Hoping that you will say YES...Then they continue to tell you that they see you haven't yet received your new Medicare cards. They will then continue to ask you for more and more personal information. Luckily, my parents see what's happening and then they will finally hang up the phone.
MAIL FRAUD
You may also receive a postcard in the mail, claiming it's from Medicare. It will actually contain some TRUE information about Medicare, but it will contain a fake phone number. You call the phone number and all of sudden, bad things start to happen.
SO HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF?
To make sure you know exactly what you are doing, always refer to the paperwork you received when you applied for Medicare, or go to medicare.gov.