MEDICARE CORNER
SENIOR SCAM ALERT!
BY FELICE HANNAH
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS
The following Federal Agencies
will NEVER initiate a call to you or
ask for your personal information:
• Internal Revenue Services (IRS)
• Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (Medicare)
SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION SCAMMERS
HAVE A PSYCHOLOGICAL ORDER
WHEN SPEAKING TO YOU.
• Fear
• Trust Me
• Deadline
They use a standard psychological
dialogue to get you to provide personal
information, invest or send money.
You have probably heard of the
“grandson scam”:
1. FEAR: The Scammer calls and
states your grandson, granddaughter,
other loved one, needs money
wired immediately to a “foreign
country,” because he/she is in a
hospital or in jail
2. TRUST ME: They will be able
to help but you must…
3. DEADLINE: Send the money
immediately
OVERVIEW OF COMMON SCAMS
Health Care Fraud
Help prevent Medicare fraud by
doing the following:
Carefully review information
contained in your monthly
Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
or Explanation of Benefits (EOB).
If you discover an item, which
appears incorrect, such as medical
equipment you never received, call
1-800-Medicare (1-800- 633-4227)
or TTY: 1-877-486-2048.
Information About New
Medicare Cards:
• New Medicare Cards will not
have Social Security numbers
• According to the Senior Medicare
Patrol (SMP) “scammers posing
as Medicare Representatives may
call you asking for your current
Medicare number and offer to
send you a new Medicare Card”
• You should report this call to
the NY Senior Medicare Patrol
at 877-678-4697
REMEMBER MEDICARE
DOESN’T CALL OR VISIT TO
SELL YOU ANYTHING.
• Your current Medicare card
can and should be used until
you receive your New Medicare
Card in the mail from the Center
for Medicaid and Medicare
Services (CMS) /Social Security
Administration
• Your Medicare benefits will not
be affected by the new Medicare
numbers
• If you are not sure whether or
not Social Security has your correct
address, call Social Security
Administration office at 1-800-
772-1213 or TTY: 1-800-325-0778
Durable Medical Equipment
Scams
What is Durable Medical
Equipment (DME)?
DME includes, but is not limited
to, walkers, wheelchairs, crutches,
canes and hospital beds.
Durable Medical Equipment is
prescribed by a Medicare-enrolled
doctor as “medically necessary” and
the Medicare-enrolled DME supplier
bills Medicare once the prescription
has been properly completed.
This procedure is mandatory. If the
supplier or doctor is not Medicareenrolled,
you may be charged 100%
for the DME.
Scammers may call asking for
personal information and offering
“free” DME. If you suspect a DME
scam, call NY Senior Medicare
Patrol at 877-678-4697.
REMEMBER MEDICARE WILL
NOT CALL ASKING FOR YOUR
PERSONAL INFORMATION OR
TO SELL YOU ANYTHING!
Medical Alert Scam
A scam artist calls, identifying
themselves as “Senior Medical
Alert” or “Senior Medical Advisor”
and stating you have been approved
to receive a “medical alert device.”
They will first scare you by stating
there has been “a significate rise
in the number of senior citizens,
who did not have medical alerts
and have died as a result of a serious
injury.” You will probably be
promised monthly monitoring.
Upon receiving your credit card
number, they say goodbye to you
and you say goodbye to your money,
as they bill your credit card for
monthly monitoring services you
never receive.
If you receive a Medical Alert
scam call:
• Do not give your credit card
number to any caller unless you
have initiated the call
• Report the call to the
Department of Consumer Affairs
at 212-639-9675
IRS Scams
Callers claim to be IRS Inspectors
and say you owe taxes. They intimidate/
frighten you by threatening
arrest, then gain your trust by
using a caller ID number which
appears to be from the IRS. You
will probably be told to send the
required payment immediately by
a prepaid debit card and give them
the number of the card.
If you receive a TRS phone scam
call do not send money or give personal
or credit card information.
IRS will notify you by mail if you
have unpaid taxes.
Report any scam call to:
Treasury Inspector General
for Tax Administration at
(800)366-4484
The IRS Helpline number is:
877-908-3360
REMEMBER IRS WILL NEVER
INITIATE A CALL REQUESTING
Y O U R P E R S O N A L
INFORMATION, SUCH AS
CREDIT CARD NUMBERS,
OR DEMAND IMMEDIATE
PAYMENT
Investment Scams
Investment Scammers follow the
money. Seniors are their targets,
because seniors generally have the
money. The investment scammer
may often be someone you know
well or has been referred to you
by a “trusted friend.” Studies have
shown Seniors lose billions of
dollars a year through investment
scams.
Protect yourself against
Investment Scammers:
Check the firm’s license
number and whether or not
the firm is registered with the
Office of the State Attorney
General. Check with the SEC
regarding the registration of the
salesperson and the firm the
salesperson is representing
HINTS ON BECOMING A SAVVY
PROACTIVE SENIOR
1. Shred personal documents
2. Remember: Federal Agencies
will not initiate a call to you requesting
your personal information
3. Report the following scam
callers to the Federal Trade
Commission 877-382-4357
• Grandparent Scams
• Tech Support Scams
• Identity Theft
• Lottery/Sweepstakes Scams
4.Screen your calls—
REMEMBER: It is okay to just hang
up. You are not being rude. You
are being a Savvy Proactive Senior
20 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ May 2018