Medicare Scams

​Other than slams, abuse and disrespect against our Veterans, nothing irritates me more than to think of someone defrauding our elderly citizens!

Recently there has been a wave of Scams (mostly telephone) targeted toward our Senior Citizen population. Granted, not everyone on Medicare is, or considers themselves, elderly, but with people living longer than they have in decades past, fraudulent scams affect hundreds, maybe thousands, of senior citizens every day.

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Statistics show 1 in 10 Seniors are victims of some kind of elderly abuse and that financial abuse and fraud costs Seniors $2.9 - $3.65 billion dollars annually! {https://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/elder-abuse-facts/}.

The saddest part of this is that in two-thirds of abuse cases the perpetrator is a family member.

This is totally unacceptable!

A few scams to watch for are:
*Someone from ‘Medicare’ calling and asking for money or your bank account information in order to “collect” for your new card. – NO! This card is FREE and sent out via regular USPS mail.

*Someone calling to persuade you to purchase a Part D drug plan who becomes aggressive when you refuse and threatens you may lose your Medicare coverage. – NO! Medicare will never call you about this. If you apply online and do not purchase credible drug coverage, you will receive a letter in the mail. If you have a MA plan that does not provide drug coverage, you will get a letter in the mail. If you have a MA plan that does cover prescription drugs, you do not need an additional one. If you have a Medicare Supplement, you do need a separate RX plan, so ask at your Medicare appointment, OR contact a local Insurance Agent trained and authorized to sell Medicare products, and make sure you get one.

*Someone calling to inform you that you’re due a refund from a previous insurance or Medicare insurance plan and asking for your bank information to direct deposit it. NO! NEVER give your bank account information over the phone! Have them mail you a check. If they get nasty or threaten you in any way, call the police, the local Council on Aging center OR a trusted family member or friend and report this.

*Someone from Medicare calling to update your information. NO! Medicare will never call you! They may contact you via USPS mail – but will not call you. Your local SS Office might call but will always provide identification, telephone number (with extension) and possibly a case number.

*Someone from Medicare or an Insurance company calling you with a Free Trip, Gift, Medical Equipment or DNA tests. NO! Again, these are not legitimate calls. NEVER give your bank information, Medicare or Social Security number to anyone over the telephone.

If you, or someone you know and love, are a victim of such calls, please report the calls to your local Council on Aging office (Calcasieu Council on Aging: 337-474-2583 /  1-800-223-5872), National Adult Protective Service (LA office: (833) 577-6532, (225) 342-0144), Local Social Security Office (877- 409-8431), the police or local FBI office.

If you believe you, or someone you love, have possibly been scammed out of your/their Medicare number, please report this to Medicare at: 1-800-633-4227 so they can watch for any fraudulent activity.

Until next time remember, scammers are always thinking of new ways to obtain your information. Stay smart, be alert and protect yourself from Identity Theft and/or Medicare Fraud!
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​Tommy Curtis and Staff

Disclaimers:

• Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.
• Not connected or affiliated with any United States Government or State agency

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