Have you received a call from someone offering a new plastic Medicare card with a microchip? You are not alone!! This is the latest Medicare card fraud trend and it is spreading like wildfire. Why not, it makes sense…….we all have a wallet filled with plastic, microchipped cards.
The last change that Medicare made to the card was in 2018 and it is safe to say there has not been one since. To help protect Medicare beneficiaries from fraud and identity theft social security numbers were replaced with random numbers. Since then, scammers have moved on to trying to convince victims that Medicare is switching from paper cards to plastic cards with chips. Again, that has not happened. However, scammers have apparently fired it up again, as a lot of people are reporting getting this type of call nationally.
These calls are designed to con victims into revealing their Medicare number, which can lead to identity theft and Medicare Fraud. If you feel you may have been victimized by this scam or would like to learn more call your local Senior Medicare Patrol Liaisons at HICAP (559) 224-9117. We are available Monday – Friday from 8am-5pm. Our HICAP, SMP Liaisons are trained to help Medicare beneficiaries prevent, detect, and report Medicare Fraud.