Medicare scams are on the rise; here's how to protect yourself

Debbie was occupied with a malfunctioning dishwasher when someone identifying as a Medicare representative called her late one afternoon, so she didn't pay attention as closely as she might have otherwise when the person asked for the number on her Medicare card.

There had been "a mix-up with the new cards," the caller said, and asked to verify she had been assigned the correct number. Debbie read the digits from her card, and the caller thanked her pleasantly and ended the conversation.

Debbie hadn't given the call another thought until a few days later, when she was eating lunch with a friend and was surprised by a string of text messages from her bank, telling her all her accounts were overdrawn. Dread washed over her as she recalled how quickly she had provided the number that likely had resulted in the misuse of her personal information.

"Thankfully, I have identity-theft protection and my bank has good fraud processes in place, so I was able to recover my money, but it took some time and caused a lot of sleepless nights," Debbie says. "The most frustrating part is I did it to myself."

Medicare scams common, FTC says

Debbie is not alone. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Medicare-related scams are rampant during Medicare's open-enrollment period, which begins in October and runs through December. But they can happen anytime.

"Scammers often pretend to be from Medicare, or connected to Medicare, to try to steal your money or personal information," an article on the FTC's website warns. "They might contact you and say they need your Medicare, bank account, or credit card number (to use) for your 'new' Medicare card. That's a scam; Medicare sends its cards to you automatically, for free.

"Scammers also might say they need your Medicare number for a 'medical equipment claim' you don't remember making. That's a scam, too; they want to file fake claims using your Medicare number."

Steer clear of scams with this advice

To keep yourself or a family member safe from scams at any time, the FTC recommends the following:

• Don’t give personal information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly and claims to be from Medicare. Medicare will never unexpectedly call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for your Medicare, Social Security, or bank account numbers. They also won’t try to sell you anything or tell you to pay for your Medicare card. There is never a charge associated with your card.
• Don’t trust your caller ID. Your caller ID might show Medicare’s name or phone number. But caller ID can be cloned, and the person calling could be a scammer.
• If you have any doubts whether a call truly might be from Medicare, hang up (or don't answer in the first place) and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to check.
• Always remember to report any suspected or actual Medicare scam to 1-800-MEDICARE. Any scam or scam attempt targeting an older adult also should be reported to the Department of Justice's National Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11. 
• Educate yourself about additional common scams and ways to keep yourself or a loved one safe from falling victim to them.