DA Anne Marie Schubert Alerts Seniors of Medicare Scam

District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert is alerting Sacramento County senior citizens about a Medicare card phone scam.

Medicare beneficiaries are getting calls from scammers telling them their new Medicare card will arrive between April and June 2018, which is true.

However, they go on to state beneficiaries must first buy a temporary card for $5.00 to $50.00 and provide personal information before they receive their new Medicare card. THIS IS NOT TRUE.

Here is information and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim:

• New Medicare cards will be mailed directly to beneficiaries at the address on file with Social Security. If beneficiaries need to update their mailing address, they can go to https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ or call 800-772-1213.

• Medicare will not call beneficiaries about the new card or number.

• The new cards are FREE.

• The new card will not include Social Security numbers.

• Beneficiaries are getting a new number and a new card with the same benefits.

• After receiving the new card, shred the old card.

District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert states, “It’s important to warn our senior community of these scammers, who are targeting them and exploiting their critical need for access to healthcare.  My hope is that by arming the public with this information, we can prevent our seniors from becoming victims.”

If you or someone you know becomes aware of Medicare related phone scams, please call the Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-855-613-7080.  If you need help with your Medicare, call the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at 1-800-434-0222 or visit https://cahealthadvocates.org/.

This information is available in several languages (English, Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian and Farsi) on this website: https://cahealthadvocates.org/fraud-abuse/medicare-fraud-alerts/.