State Says Be Wary of Scammers

With new Medicare cards slated to arrive in Tennessee sometime after June, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is warning Medicare beneficiaries to be wary of scammers who might use the cards pending arrival as an opportunity to fleece unsuspecting consumers.
Federal laws enacted last year required the removal of Social Security numbers from old Medicare beneficiary cards. Scammers and identity thieves frequently used pilfered personal information from the old cards to open credit card accounts or take out loans in someone else’s name.
While the new Medicare cards include a unique, randomly assigned Medicare number in place of SSNs, scammers may use the transition period before the arrival of the new cards to take advantage of beneficiaries.
To help protect consumers, TDCI’s Division of Consumer Affairs shares the following tips to help consumers get ahead of Medicare card scammers:
You do not have to pay for your new Medicare card. Medicare is mailing beneficiaries new cards at no charge. If anyone contacts you claiming to represent Medicare or another government agency and is trying to charge for your new card, it is a scam.
Do not give your Medicare number to an untrusted source. Scammers call pretending to be from CMS or another government agency asking for personal information in exchange for your new card. Cards are being shipped automatically and do not require you to share your Medicare number to receive one. Only share your Medicare number with doctors or trusted people who work with Medicare.
Do not believe anyone who threatens to cancel your Medicare if you don’t give them your Medicare number.
Destroy your old card. Once you receive your new Medicare card, the old one is not needed. Destroy your old Medicare card by shredding it-remember: it has your SSN on it.