RBC I As the local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), we have had many reports about people receiving calls from someone saying they are from Medicare, claiming there is a problem with your account and asking for the individuals Medicare number. These scammers hijack numbers many times to look official or local. Usually if called back it would be someone else’s number or disconnected. Medicare already has your Medicare number and would not call to ask for it. We have heard callers says things like “they are from Medicare and want to make sure that my parts A and B are up to date or need to be reviewed with me or something similar. On one call the person said they were hired by Medicare and licensed to do an audit of their parts A and B.”
Medicare’s warning from its website: https://www.medicare.gov/basics/reporting-medicare-fraudand- abuse
Protecting yourself from identity theft through Medicare fraud
Identity theft is a serious crime that happens when someone uses your personal information without your consent to commit Medicare fraud or other crimes. Use the following tips to protect yourself from becoming an identity theft victim.
Do:
* Protect your Medicare Number and your Social Security Number.
* Guard your Medicare card like it’s a credit card.
* Become familiar with how Medicare uses your personal information. If you join a Medicare health or drug plan, the plan will let you know how it will use your personal information.
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