The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has asked its partners to get the word out on this Medicare card phone scam. Columnist C.W. Gusewelle recently wrote about it in the Kansas City Star. She wrote that, “A friend and contemporary received a phone call this past week, notifying her that the current Medicare cards — the ones with the red, white and blue stripes across the top — were being phased out. A replacement card would be issued, the caller assured her, but the old one no longer would be valid.” The caller asked her to verify her address and phone number. Next, the caller asked for the name of her bank. “She hung up and dialed Medicare,” wrote Gusewelle, and “was told, there wasn’t any plan to issue new cards.” She was able to obtain the number of the caller. Gusewelle advised that, “If you get a call from area code 347, a Brooklyn, NY, exchange, and the number happens to be 418-0489,” hang up and contact the police.
You should also report this to your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program. See smpresource.org for a list of SMPs nationwide. In California, call our SMP helpline at 1-855-613-7080.
To read the full article, see “Medicare Scammers Don’t Care About You.”
See our Medicare Fraud section for more info on health care fraud and ways to prevent, detect and report it.
