BEWARE OF SCAMS WITH NEW MEDICARE CARDS!

Posted: May 17, 2018, 10:24AM

New Medicare cards are being sent by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Social Security numbers are being removed to add a level of security and help protect Medicare beneficiaries from identity theft and fraud. A new Medicare Beneficiary Idenfier (MBI) number will be assigned displaying a combination of 11 letters and numbers. These new cards are being mailed between April 2018 and April 2019.

Scammers are always trying to get your money so it's no surprise that new scams have come about with these new cards.

Scammers are calling Medicare beneficiaries and asking for verification of their OLD information (their Social Security number or the primary's number) as a pre-requisite for obtaining their new card. Medicare officials will not call about the cards. AND - Medicare HAS your number!! They do not need to call you to verify your old information!

Also, con artists are calling beneficiaries demanding a processing fee. There is NO fee for the new cards!

Some fraud artists are telling beneficiaries that they are owed a refund from transactions on their old card and then asking for bank account information to process the reimbursement. Medicare officials stress that they will never call beneficiaries about the cards nor will they ask for a bank account number, and no refunds are owed.

DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION! This includes your Social Security / Medicare number, your bank account number(s), and your Medicaid number.

Medicare has introduced these new cards to protect beneficiaries. You will have a new 11 digit number and letter combination. There is no fee for the new card. Medicare does not need your old information - they have it. There are no refunds associated with this change.

Be alert and don't help con artists scam you!