Along with hospice fraud, new Medicare card scams are one of the top three types of reported Medicare fraud across the state. Watch out – these scammers do their homework and sound very professional! They may call, email or show up at your door unannounced and already know your name, address, date of birth, doctors names and/or other personal information that makes them appear credible.
Many of these scammers call saying, “Medicare wants to send you a new card. I just need to verify your Medicare number (or other personal information) before we send it.” Others may say Medicare has new plastic cards or cards with a computer chip, or that Medicare is sending you a new card along with a gift card.
Don’t fall for it! All these are scams. Medicare cards have been and continue to be paper cards – no plastic, no fancy computer chips and no gift cards. Medicare will never contact you to verify your information.
Scammers who get your Medicare number may use it to submit fake claims, typically for medical equipment, genetic testing kits, diabetic supplies or fraudulent hospice enrollments. They can do this without beneficiaries even knowing — until a beneficiary or loved one sees services they never had or equipment they or their doctor never ordered show up on their Medicare Summary Notices. Or if unexpected and unneeded durable medical equipment shows up a their door.
Deceptive hospice enrollments are particularly harmful as fraudsters enroll Medicare beneficiaries in hospice without their knowledge – even though they are not terminally ill – and collect payment from Medicare for hospice services that were never delivered. Meanwhile, the beneficiary has legitimate claims, including medications, surgeries, etc, denied because Medicare won’t pay to cure their illness after they are enrolled in hospice. This can sometimes lead to a sharp decline in a person’s health, and in some cases has even caused death.
What are warning signs to look for?
Watch for these warning signs:
- You get an unexpected call claiming to be from Medicare. Medicare will not call you unannounced. They already have your information and certainly won’t ask you to “verify” it.
- Someone threatens to “cancel” your Medicare coverage unless you provide personal information.
- You get a bill from a hospital or medical provider for a service you didn’t receive.
How to protect yourself
- Remember not to share your Medicare or Social Security number with anyone who contacts you out of the blue, either via phone, email or showing up unannounced at your door. Just because scammers do their homework and may know some of your personal information, that does NOT make them trustworthy.
- If someone calls you claiming to be from Medicare, your doctor’s office, or pharmacy and asks for your Medicare number, hang up immediately. Call back only with a phone number you trust and know to be correct. Do not use the number they gave you.
- Review your Medicare Summary Notices and Explanation of Benefits for any suspicious charges or claims for equipment or services you never received. These notices are sent to you every three months, or you can sign up to receive monthly electronic statements. To see current claims, go to or create your online Medicare account.
- Report any suspicious charges/activity to the California Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-855-613-7080.
For more information, read AARP’s recent article: Watch Out for Medicare Card Scams.
