As Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment Period gets underway, officials are urging you to be on high alert, not just about changes to their coverage, but about a surge in scams aimed at stealing personal and financial information.
The enrollment period, which runs now through December 7, allows Medicare beneficiaries to make important changes to their health and drug coverage plans. But it's also prime time for scammers who exploit the confusion and urgency that often surrounds this critical window.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, scammers are contacting people by phone, text, email, and even social media, pretending to be from Medicare or a related service. Their goal is to trick people into handing over their Medicare, bank account, or credit card numbers. In one common scam, fraudsters claim a person needs to “confirm” their information to receive a new Medicare card. In another, they allege the beneficiary has a pending medical equipment claim, one that was never requested.
To protect yourself and others, experts recommend not sharing any personal information with un-vetted persons that call you, never pay for a Medicare card, and do not trust caller ID’s as scammers can “spoof” phone numbers and Medicare titles.
While the open enrollment period is a key opportunity for millions of Americans to review and improve their health care options, it’s also a critical time to stay vigilant. Officials advise reporting suspicious calls or messages to Medicare and contacting your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), which helps older adults to prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud and abuse.
For more information about Medicare Open Enrollment or to report a scam, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit the SMP website.
