A concerned Missouri Medicare client has made the Quill aware of a recent call she received, involving an attempt to get her insurance number, and wants to remind all to not give a Medicare number to anyone claiming to need it without first confirming they are speaking with a legitimate representative.
The client said she got a call from someone claiming to be from Medicare who told her new insurance cards were being sent out, but they needed her insurance number in order to mail it to her.
They also said her coverage was at risk of being suspended if she didn't provide the information, and demonstrated knowledge of her personal information, including her name and address.
Suspicious from the start, the client questioned the caller about needing her insurance number and eventually asked to speak to the caller's supervisor.
At first, the caller acted as if she were going to patch the client through to a second person, putting her on hold before getting back on the line to further pressure her to provide information, but the client instead hung up and called Medicare directly, she told the Quill.
She found out there were no new cards being mailed out and she could have fallen prey to the scam, but avoided it by doing exactly as she should by calling Medicare to confirm.
Care Connection for Aging Services (CCAS) is a Missouri nonprofit organization focused on issues pertaining to the elderly, and part of the organization’s role is in issuing scam alerts.
CCAS reported in December 2022, based on information provided by the Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), there were three common scams to be on the lookout for during 2023, with the new insurance card phone call at the top of the list. The alert emphasizes new cards are not being mailed out, and scammers may describe the cards as plastic, microchipped,or as a Medicare "gold" card. CCAS officials remind citizens that Medicare will never "cold call" recipients to get personal information, and recommend hanging up and calling Medicare at 800-633-4227 when a scam is suspected.
Billing scams may be initiated by a caller offering free genetic tests or other services linked to genetic health screenings, and Medicare recipients should not give information. They are also encouraged to double-check Medicare billing statements to make sure there are no genetic screenings or tests that haven't been ordered by a doctor.
Another possible fraud is related to hospice care, with scammers attempting to pressure recipients into agreeing to hospice care for which they are not qualified, and that may show up on billing statements as services provided at a higher level than needed or not received at all.
The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol number to call and report suspected fraud, errors or abuse is 888-515-6565.
