Help your employees avoid scams during Medicare open enrollment

If you run a business, you might have employees on Medicare. Or maybe you know family or friends on Medicare or employees with family or friends on Medicare. Here’s how to help everyone avoid scams during Medicare open enrollment, which starts October 15 and runs through December 7.

As beneficiaries consider their coverage options, scammers often pretend to be from Medicare, or connected to Medicare, to try to steal money or personal information. They might contact you and say they need your Medicare, bank account, or credit card number for your “new” Medicare card. That’s a scam — Medicare sends its cards to you automatically for free. Scammers might also 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.

Talking about scams can help you (and others) avoid them. Share these prevention messages with your employees, family, friends, and community:

• 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. That’s always a scam.
• Don’t trust your caller ID. Your caller ID might show Medicare’s name or phone number. But caller ID can be faked. It could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world. If you think a call might be real, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to check.
• Report Medicare impersonators and other Medicare scams at 1-800-MEDICARE. For additional help to prevent, detect, and report potential Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse, reach out to your local Senior Medicare Patrol.