Category: Senior Medicare Patrol

Keep Your Personal Information Away from Scammers The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol has an important message for Medicare beneficiaries: Be careful if someone calls you asking for personal information or trying to sell you a Medicare plan. Scammers and unwanted sales callers are common these days. Adults who are getting ready to enroll in Medicare,…

Be Careful of Medicare Look-Alike Mail The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol wants to remind you to be careful when you receive mail that looks like it is from Medicare or the government. Some companies send official looking letters to get you interested in products or insurance they want to sell. These mailings may include a…

Telehealth: A Helpful Service—But Watch Out for Scams Telehealth makes it easier to see your doctor from home using a phone or video visit. It is a safe and convenient option when you are working with a provider you know and trust. Unfortunately, scammers are using telehealth to steal Medicare information and bill for services…

The Missouri SMP Helps Spot Scams, One Community at a Time.Scams seem to be everywhere these days. Maybe you’ve gotten a strange phone call claiming your Medicare card is “expiring.” Maybe you’ve seen ads promising free medical equipment or heard about someone losing money to a healthcare scam. It can happen fast, and it can…

Important Message About Medicare Phone CallsDo you receive a lot of unknown numbers or “spam” phone calls? The Missouri SMP wants to spread the word that Medicare will NOT call you asking to verify your Medicare number, for your personal information or try to sell you anything.There are a lot of scammers and telemarketers making…

Your Medicare number is private information and can be just as valuable as a bank account number. Scam artists try to use your Medicare number for fraudulent billing! The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) strongly advises that you be careful about sharing your Medicare number. You should only share your number with your trusted health…

Protecting Yourself from Pharmacy & Prescription Drug FraudPharmacy and prescription drug fraud in Medicare costs taxpayers billions every year and can put your health, benefits, and personal information at risk. Let’s talk about some ways it can happen and how you can stay a step ahead of the scam. There may be problems with the…

Watch for Urinary Catheter Charges on Your Medicare StatementThe Missouri SMP has noticed an uptick in Medicare beneficiaries finding charges for urinary catheters on their Medicare Summary Notices (MSN) and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) that they did not order, need, or receive. This is a common Medicare scam. Scammers bill Medicare for catheters that were…

As we step into the New Year, many are making resolutions to make 2026 our best year yet. At theMissouri SMP, we are too! We invite you to join us in making a commitment to protect yourself andothers from Medicare fraud this year. Here’s how you can help: I will PREVENT fraud from happening. The…

Protect yourself from these common holiday scams.The holiday season is here! This is a wonderful time for family, friends, and festive fun. But it’s also a time when scammers try to take advantage of people. While you shop, bake cookies, or enjoy your traditions, please keep an eye out for these common holiday scams. We…