Receive a call from someone stating they’re from Medicare and asking for personal information? Hang up, says Nebraska State Health Insurance Assistance Program and Senior Medicare Patrol, a division of Nebraska’s Insurance Department.
Due to an increase in fraudulent activities, SHIP and SMP have released a statement warning of calls claiming to be Medicare providers.
According to the release, the calls usually followed the same pattern: The recipient was told that new Medicare cards needed to be distributed and that the caller would need their Medicare information. These calls are a classic form of Medicare fraud and should be reported to Nebraska SHIP and SMP.
Beginning in 2018, when Medicare introduced the new Medicare card format, fraudulent Medicare callers used the confusion about cards to offer folks a new plastic Medicare card or a card with a chip.
People are also reading…
SHIP and SMP said some important facts Medicare recipients and their families should know to avoid these fraudulent calls are that Medicare cards are paper wand will not be replaced with a plastic card or card with a chip in it, and to never release your Medicare number. They also stated that if you receive a fraudulent call, it’s not rude to hang up.
People can report suspected fraudulent activities to the division. Nebraska SHIP & SMP can be reached at 1-800-234-7119.