Best practices on staying scam free over the holidays!
‘Twas the month of Christmas and through many ways, scammers are plotting looking for easy paydays.
Impersonation and phishing are some of their schemes. Maybe they’ll ask for your Medicare number, i
exchange for winning the trip of your dreams. They could email, text or call. They could be very
convincing while pretending to be your grandson, Paul. But have no fear, you can’t be tricked, you see.
Because each month you’ve been learning valuable tips like these from the Missouri SMP!
Guard your card! Protect your Medicare number like you do your Social Security number and keep it
private. You should also leave your Medicare card at home, unless you’re going to a medical
appointment. By having your Medicare number scammers can fraudulently bill Medicare.
Medicare will not call you to verify information, cancel your coverage or send you a new card. If
someone calls you stating they are from Medicare, hang up the phone. You can call Medicare back and
speak to a representative if you are concerned.
Do not answer unknown numbers. If you receive a phone call from a number you don’t recognize,
don’t answer it. Ignore or send the call to voicemail. The caller will leave their name and number if it is
important.
Delete and block any text messages coming from unknown numbers, especially if they contain
clickable links. A common text making its rounds claims to be from FedEx or USPS. The text states
they are unable to deliver a package due to a warehouse or customs error. They want you to click the
link so that your package can be delivered. This is a scam tactic, do not click the link!
Read your emails carefully. Scammers sometimes use email or web addresses that are very similar to
the company or person they are pretending to be. If there are misspellings, hyphens, extra letters or
anything else suspicious in the email, do not click on any links. The email is likely a scam. If you’re not
sure whether it’s real ask a trusted family member or friend for their opinion. You can also contact the
company which the email appears to be from. Google the company’s contact information. Any contact
information within the email could send you back to the scammer.
Always read over your Medicare Summary Notices or Explanation of Benefits. Look for treatments and
services you didn’t receive, or anything else that may look out of the ordinary.
The Missouri SMP is here to provide you with information you need to protect, detect, and report potential Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse. If you think you or a loved one has been a target of a Medicare scam, call the Missouri SMP at 888-515-6565.
This project was supported, in part, by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $662,347 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government