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Scammers hit cell phones and landlines with misrepresentations of what you need to do to get a new Medicare card. Here are some answers to your questions.
Hang up and continue hanging up. Or better yet, do not answer.
Scammers hit mobile phones and landlines with all sorts of crazy terrain – including misrepresentation of what you need to do to get a new Medicare card.
"The best thing to do is not to answer calls you do not know," said Mark Fetterhoff, Senior Program Specialist at the AARP Foundation, as part of a recent public forum organized by AOCP and organized by AARP and the Federal Communications Commission.
Although it sounds like a local call, it probably does not. Frequently, fraudsters engage in a "neighborhood usurpation" to give the impression that it is a local figure. Fraudsters can spoof phone numbers easily and change this stolen number regularly. You'll have a better chance of responding, if it's a new issue, experts said.
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Calls, however, are not likely to stop. It is therefore essential to keep abreast of the latest scams, to be a bit skeptical and to ask yourself a few questions, such as:
Do I really have to pay for the new Medicare card?
Short answer: Absolutely not.
Consumers in the state of Washington began receiving new Medicare cards – at no cost – in September.
New cards will be sent to all 58 million current Medicare beneficiaries in the country by April 2019.
New Medicare cards will not contain your Social Security number and may offer more guarantees against fraud.
The fraudsters, of course, hope to catch the old people off guard. Consumers are therefore warned of strange calls and bogus claims. Medicare even broadcasts TV ads to warn of the risk of fraud and highlight its website, www.medicare.gov/fraud.
A key point to understand: your new card will come automatically. Medicare notes that consumers have nothing to do as long as their address is up to date. If you need to update your address, visit your mySocial Security account. See www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
Never agree to pay for your new health insurance card; it's free. You do not have to pay up to $ 50 to get a new "temporary card".
Do not share any information if someone threatens to cancel your health benefits. Hang up and call 800-633-4227 to talk to Medicare. It is also possible to visit the main Medicare patrol at smpresource.org.
Do not disclose any social security number to a person calling to get a new Medicare card. Medicare will not ask you for personal information to get your new Medicare card.
Do not share your bank account information with someone who offers to deposit a discount or a bonus on your bank account because you have a new Medicare card. It's also a scam.
Should I somehow "reactivate" my social security number?
Short answer: Again, no.
Older people would be inundated with phone calls from scammers who claim to belong to the government and claim that the social security number of the latter has been suspended.
The scammer could perhaps say that the social security number had "some connection with fraud or other criminal activity," according to a warning from the Federal Trade Commission. "They say to call a number to clarify the situation – they will ask for personal information," according to the FTC.
Do not give them your bank account number. Do not give them your social security number either.
"The appellant is pretending to protect you from a scam while trying to lure you into one of those scams," said the FTC.
In some cases, experts say that automated calls can alert you that you must contact the phone number provided for any illegal activity involving your Social Security number. If you do not, the automated call insists that your assets will be frozen until the alleged problem is resolved. Not true.
Seriously, is Medicare really going to send me $ 200 just to be a good citizen?
We all know that the answer is a big no. But some of us like to hope.
Consumers claim to have received calls from people claiming to be from Medicare and seem extremely friendly. The person then says that Medicare will give them $ 200 to be a good citizen.
The trick here: All the senior needs to do is give the caller his bank account information.
A consumer of a city hall AARP-FCC claimed to have communicated this bank information to obtain additional money. But then, the scammer claimed to have clicked on the wrong number and sent $ 8,000 to the old person by accident. Would the consumer be kind enough to go out to buy gift cards – or give her ATM number now – so that the extra money can be returned?
Fortunately, the consumer who leaked the bank account information did not deliver any gift cards or ATM information.
Still, she had to work with her bank later, because she had fallen into the trap. If you have already submitted your bank account details, go to the bank immediately to try to resolve the problem as soon as possible so that the fraudsters do not have access to your money.
Who should I call if I'm worried about a scam?
Consumers can contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network at 877-908-3360 to speak with a trained fraud counselor. Or check for updates on fraud alerts at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
To file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about unsolicited scams or telemarketing, visit www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
To file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission about unwanted calls, visit the website www.fcc.gov. Click on "For Consumers".
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