In an effort to raise awareness, California State Senator Janet Nguyen is informing the community of a new Medicare Card scam. According to the AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, the scam consists of Medicare beneficiaries receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to be from Medicare asking them for payment to receive a new Medicare Card or asking them to verify their Medicare number.
The personal information obtained is then utilized to commit identity theft.
“Scammers are taking advantage of a change in the law that requires Medicare to issue new cards,” said Nguyen. “It is important for our seniors to know that Medicare will be issuing new cards at no cost and that they never call to verify personal information.”
Due to an increase in identity theft caused by the inclusion of social security numbers on current Medicare Cards, in 2015, Congress passed a law to remove this critical piece of information. Starting April 2018, Medicare will be issuing new replacement cards with a random Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) instead of using the holder’s social security number.
“Throughout my years as a public servant, I have heard many stories from residents who were victimized by deceitful tactics. It is especially concerning when seniors are targets of such scams,” said Nguyen. “I ask all residents to be active by informing your loved ones, friends and neighbors of the changes in the Medicare Cards so that they are knowledgeable in the event they receive a call asking for personal information which should not be shared.”
Residents who receive these phone calls are encouraged to hang up immediately and call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP to report the call.
About Senator Janet Nguyen
The 34th State Senate District includes the cities of Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster, the unincorporated communities of Midway City and Rossmoor, as well as portions of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Orange.
This article appeared in the June 21, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.