Warning: Identity thieves posing as Medicare, Social Security reps

When Don Boyle got a call telling him he was eligible for a free back brace — and all he had to do was provide his Medicare account number — he knew something sounded fishy.

You see, Don’s back is in perfect shape.

He was lucky enough to get off the phone before he could get scammed — but plenty of other seniors haven’t been so lucky.

Don was targeted as part of a criminal con known as “phishing” where thieves try to steal your identity and your cash. Just as fishermen use lures to catch fish, phishers hope you’ll bite on one of theirs — like the promise of free medical equipment.

Phishing has become a national epidemic, and seniors are often the prey. Thieves are using phone calls, the Internet, and emails to nab everything from your Social Security number to your bank information.

But if you know what to look for, you can usually spot these swindles a mile away — and take steps to keep your personal information safe.

The numbers racketTake your Medicare card out of your wallet and look at the “claim number.” Look familiar?

It should, because it’s the same as your Social Security number, only with an added letter.

That’s something the government knows is a big problem, and one that will finally be biting the dust — but not until eight years from now! In the meantime, scammers are “having a field day with seniors’ Medicare cards,” according to Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas.

It’s become common for seniors to get calls pretending to be from Medicare or some well-known medical company promising high-ticket items like scooters or braces. Sometimes they’ll even claim you need to have a new Medicare card issued.

It can all sound legitimate, especially if the caller already has some personal information about you, such as your name, address or age (which is easy to find online). But once you provide your Medicare number, Social Security number or other personal information, thieves can steal your identity and even apply for credit cards in your name.

And you may not even know it until your credit is destroyed or the bills start arriving.

So how do you stop it? The first thing to remember is that Medicare doesn’t make random phone calls like the one Don Boyle received. And the same goes for Social Security and the IRS.

I mean, the last time you called the Social Security office or the IRS it probably took an hour or more just to get someone on the phone!

The Better Business Bureau lists the top three ways these crooks are trying to get personal information from us. You might be:

• asked to take part in a government survey,
• told you’re eligible for free products or a new prescription drug plan, or
• promised you can take part in a free medic alert service if you provide certain information.

E-mail scams can be especially hard to spot. Especially because the Social Security Administration regularly sends us e-mails promoting its online services — e-mails it wants you to click on!

But spotting a fake e-mail is usually pretty easy. Just look at the return address — if it’s from the federal government, it should end in .gov.

Scam artists are getting more devious every year, especially with all this new technology. So to stay safe, your best bet is to delete all suspicious emails and cut short any unknown callers who are phishing for information.

And keep that Medicare card as safe as if it were cash.

Sources:

“New Medicare cards will not display Social Security numbers” Office of the Inspector General, oig.ssa.gov

“Better Business Bureau warns elderly to beware of Medicare/Medicaid scams” Consumer News, Better Business Bureau, bbb.org