Scams & Swindles: Medicare won’t call you about your new card

May 16--For my first column of 2018, I opted to write about the new Medicare cards being sent out this year -- and the litany of scams that were sure to come with it.

The purpose behind the new cards is safety as they no longer will have Social Security numbers on them, but rather a unique, randomly assigned code consisting of numbers and letters called a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier.

As I wrote then, the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the change is specifically to "prevent fraud, fight identity theft, and keep taxpayer dollars safe."

Unfortunately, the new cards are also drawing the attention of the criminals and con artists who flood us with scam calls and emails daily.

One person who got a scam call recently was Claudette Kirk.

The Apple Valley resident had just gotten out of the hospital after a health scare, so when the caller ID on her phone flashed "MEDICARE" she thought it might have something to do with her recent stay.

"I answered the phone and a man said his name was Douglas Johnson and he was with Medicare," Kirk said. "He sounded very American, no accent, and there was no talking in the background like there always is with those scam calls.

"He said, 'I need to ask you some Medicare questions regarding the changes in the new Medicare cards coming out.' And I said OK because I know there are new cards coming out. I said, 'How can I help you.'"

According to Kirk, the man asked her for the last four digits of her Medicare number, her date of birth and he asked if she was married.

"He asked for my husband's name and I was wondering why he was asking those questions," Kirk said. "And then it came to me that he was asking because of my secondary insurance."

Both Kirk and her husband served in the military and have Tricare, a health insurance plan for military members, their families and retirees. And now she was pretty sure "Douglas Johnson" was trying to get her insurance information.

"I put the phone down and looked at the area code and it was 262 and I thought, 'That's not a Medicare number, those numbers are 800,'" Kirk said. "So I picked the phone back up and said, 'You rotten scammer, why don't you get a real job?'"

Kirk gave up more information than she should have, but thankfully she caught on before it was to late.

She immediately called Medicare and a representative informed her that they do not call to ask for personal information. They said they would "red tag" her name to pay extra attention for any unusual activity on her account.

She was also encouraged to report the scam call to the Federal Trade Commission and the local authorities, but she also wanted to let other residents know to be on the lookout for these types of calls.

"The caller was very well-spoken," Kirk said. "All the other scam calls you get usually have a heavy accent or they don't put their words together properly. This guy was very convincing, very convincing.

"For me to get taken like that, I just felt like an idiot. But it all fell into place with my recent hospitalization and the new Medicare cards coming out. It just all made sense in the moment."

The new Medicare cards began getting mailed out in April and will be sent out in phases by geographic location through April 2019. For more information on the new cards or to report a potential scam, call 1-800-633-4227 or visit www.medicare.gov/newcard.

Kevin Trudgeon may be reached at 760-955-5358 or [email protected].

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