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You may know that it’s open enrollment time for Medicare.
So do scammers.
The Federal Trade Commission is warning that fraudsters could take advantage of this annual period to impersonate Medicare agents. The program’s open enrollment, which started Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, is when Medicare beneficiaries can make changes to their coverage — and criminals often try to capitalize on that with unsolicited calls.
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“If someone asks for your Medicare identification number, sirens should go off,” said Ari Parker, a senior advisor at Chapter, a Medicare advisory firm. “Same with your Social Security number and checking account information.”
Generally speaking, no one is allowed to reach out to you — unsolicited — about your coverage, whether via phone or email. Of course, this excludes agents who you are already working with or who signed you up for your current plan.
During open enrollment, beneficiaries are encouraged by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to review their current coverage and make sure it will still be the best fit for them in the next year. In general, this time period is for making changes related to Part D (prescription drug coverage) and Advantage Plans — which deliver Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient care) and…
