Seniors face a surge of Medicare scam calls ahead of enrollment period
Retired beneficiaries are receiving dozens of unsolicited Medicare-related calls daily, many of which are fraudulent, despite being on the Do Not Call list.
Even though Medicare’s open enrollment window is still weeks away, seniors are being bombarded with frequent phone, text and email solicitations that appear to be Medicare related. Delores Reed, who recently retired, says she gets more than a dozen such calls each day despite being registered on the Do Not Call list, and the callers never disclose who they represent. Amy Nofziger of the AARP Fraud Watch Network says genuine Medicare will never request verification of a member’s number through these channels, and warns that promises of new or upgraded cards, free gifts, genetic testing or medical equipment are typical scam tactics.
More than 40 health systems have warned patients about a “MyChart Medicare Kit” scam circulating via texts and emails. The advice for seniors is to delete dubious messages, refuse to share their Medicare number over the phone, and report suspicious activity to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE or to the AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline.
Why it matters
Seniors risk identity theft and financial loss from Medicare scams targeting them before enrollment.
In this story
