New Medicare cards are in the mail and identity thieves are going to hate them
The new cards will display a random set of 11 characters of numbers and letters, and should help deter identity theft and Medicare fraud.
Mailings will begin to the rest of the state's Medicare beneficiaries at the end of May. In
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When the new card arrives in the mail, the old card should be shredded or cut up, Piantedosi said.
Mailings of the new Medicare cards will take some time, and the card may not arrive at the same time as friends or relatives get theirs. If the new card does not arrive by
The new cards will be made of paper, which is easier for providers to use for billing purposes, Piantedosi said. Beneficiaries who are on Medicare Advantage plans will get a new Medicare card, but they should hang on to Medicare Advantage cards. It's a good idea to have both cards when seeing a provider, she said.
People are encouraged to verify their mailing address with the
But do not give any Medicare information to people who call seeking it over the telephone.
The
One scam being reported locally involves a caller who claims to be from Medicare who says the call is to verify the beneficiary's' current Medicare number so a new card can be mailed. The caller is not from Medicare, and is trying to get the
If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft or Medicare fraud, you can report it to Senior Medicare Patrol, which is responsible for reporting and detecting fraud, Hebrard said. The telephone number is 855-613-7080.
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