Identity Thieves Targeting Medicare Enrollees

Written on November 4, 2010 – 10:47 am | by Chloe Gatenby

With open enrollment for Medicare beginning November 15^th, identity thieves are on the prowl. They are looking to obtain Social Security numbers and bank account information to commit fraud.

“There are people out there looking for opportunities to come and give you wrong information, or do things fraudulently,” said Renard Murray, Regional Administrator with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Atlanta. “It’s very unlikely that you’ll get a call from a Medicare representative saying that ‘I want to enroll you in a plan, let me help you to do that.’”

But those calls are already popping up. Medicare recipients report scammers asking for personal information, such as Social Security numbers and checking account details.

“Don’t give out information at that point, because if you’re not sure then that may be an indication that something just may not be right,” Murray pointed out.

“There’s a Tennessee Senior Health Insurance Program that also is a contractor for Medicare and helps out beneficiaries one-on-one with their individual questions,” Murray said.

He said no one should give out personal information if they still have questions; the best thing to do is simply call Medicare directly.

“We’ve got individuals that are waiting to help out and look at situations that might be fraudulent to help our seniors,” he said, “because we don’t want them preyed upon.”

Identity Theft Protection Services