New Medicare Cards and Avoiding Scams

Starting in April 2018, Medicare will begin mailing new cards to recipients of Medicare benefits. The new cards will not have your social security number on them but will have a unique Medicare number. This will happen automatically and you do not need to do anything or pay a fee for a new card. The cards will be send out in waves so do not be concerned if a relative receives their card before you do. You should, however, keep an eye out for your new card so that it does not get taken from your mail.

Be aware that scammers may try to take advantage of this change. Here are some tips to avoid being scammed:

Medicare will not call you uninvited and ask for personal information. If someone asks you for your information, for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your personal information, hang up and call Medicare at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227)

Safeguard your card like any other health insurance or credit card because even though your social security number has been removed, identity thefts can still use the information to try and obtain medical services.

For more information on Medicare cards and the new cards see: https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/using-medicare/your-medicare-card.