CRAWFORDSVILLE — The scam calls are so out of hand, Dan Bennett, of Crawfordsville, can’t even answer the phone anymore.
Bennett reached out to WRTV Investigates after receiving multiple calls from people claiming to be from Medicare or affiliated with the government program.
“Normally we don’t pick up calls from unidentified people, but due to some issues we’ve had we’ve needed to accept some calls,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the calls often look like they’re coming from Indiana area codes.
“They call up and ask if you’ve received your plastic Medicare card with the chip,” Bennett said. “Of course, I say no and they go into their spiel. And then they want me to get my old cardboard card.”
Bennett said he ends the call before sharing his personal information but worries about his fellow senior citizens.
“We enjoy and see your reports on WRTV,” Bennett said. “I think it would be really easy to fall for this scam. I want to help warn other people that they shouldn’t answer those calls and engage with those people.”
WRTV Investigates asked Nancy Moore with Indiana’s Senior Medicare Patrol whether there’s such a thing as a plastic Medicare card with a chip in it.
“There’s no such thing,” Moore said. “It’s a paper card. Four years ago, everyone was issued a new card without their Social Security number.”
Scammers are using confusion to get people like Bennett to reveal their Medicare number, which can lead to insurance fraud and identity…
