Guard your new Medicare ID card to avoid fraud

Medicare ID fraud happens when someone uses your Medicare card to get your personal information, like your Social Security or Medicare ID number. A fraudster could steal your identity to open new credit cards or bank accounts using your name and credit. They also could use your Medicare ID card information to file fake claims for healthcare you did not receive—like billing for a motorized scooter that you don’t need. Medicare fraud wastes a lot of money each year and results in higher health care costs for everyone.  

Follow these tips to guard your Medicare ID card:

• Keep your Medicare and Social Security cards secure.
  
• Don’t share your numbers with anyone other than your health care team.
  
• If someone calls and asks for your Medicare information, hang up. Medicare will only call you if you’ve called and left a message or if a representative said that someone will call you back.
  
• Check your statements carefully and log into MyMedicare.gov to spot possible fraud and billing mistakes. 
  
• Report suspicious activities by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
  

New Medicare cards

If you are a Medicare recipient, you might have heard that new Medicare cards are on their way to your mailbox. The new cards will have a unique Medicare ID number instead of your Social Security number. The new Medicare ID cards are good news for everyone, except fraudsters who use Social Security numbers to steal people’s identity and commit Medicare fraud. You will receive your new Medicare ID card by April 2019. 

Free placemat on Medicare ID fraud

To celebrate Older Americans month this May, we created a new Medicare-themed placemat. The Medicare ID fraud placemat includes information to help older adults spot and avoid fraud. 

The placemat is part of a series of consumer education placemats that meal service providers deliver to homebound seniors and senior meal sites. The placemats are free to download or order in bulk. This placemat also shares valuable information on the rollout of the new Medicare cards. 

Spot Medicare ID fraud and report it

• Order our Medicare ID fraud prevention and awareness placemats and share with people in your community. You can use the placemats year-round to help educate older adults and others about how to protect themselves against fraudsters. 
  
• Report any suspected fraud to your law enforcement’s non-emergency number. If you suspect that someone is a victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, also report it to Adult Protective Services (APS). Find your local APS at eldercare.acl.gov . If you think the person’s safety may be at risk, call 911.
  
• Report Medicare fraud by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or report online through the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.