MISSOULA, MT - Missoula Aging Services (MAS) received information about an active scam targeting older adults in Missoula.
In the report, several individuals received multiple calls last week from someone claiming to be from Medicare with what looked like a local number. This could be a trend in other areas and the agency would like to remind Medicare recipients to be aware: Medicare does not need to verify your information to get you more benefits.
Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 is a particularly busy time with Medicare Open Enrollment, and
the fraudsters know it.
They take advantage of the annual open enrollment period to try and scam individuals out of their Medicare number.
Statewide Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program Director at MAS, Renee Labrie-Shanks,
shared the following, “Medicare will never call people on Medicare to ask for or check their
Medicare number. As with any unsolicited call, do not give personal information over the phone, whether it’s your Medicare number, Social Security number, bank account information, or your full birthday. Scammers are looking for missing pieces of information to steal your identity.”
Labrie-Shanks added, “To protect yourself from scammers, do not answer your phone if you don’t recognize the number. If it’s important, they will leave a voicemail. Also, always read your Medicare Summary Notices or Medicare Advantage EOB’s, especially if you’ve been receiving calls like these. It may indicate you’ve already been targeted.”
If you think you’ve been a victim of Medicare fraud, call Montana Senior Medicare
Patrol: (800) 551-3191 or visit the website: smpresource.org for more information.
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