Latest Medicare Scam: Don't Divulge Your ID Number When a Stranger Calls

He urged scam victims to file complaints. “We've heard every variation, every angle, every pitch … and more often than not, we immediately know that there's something suspicious, and that it is likely a scam."

Criminals rarely target a single state, so it's important to be aware of this crime no matter where you live. A couple of Tennessee residents have reported similar scam calls, said Samantha Fisher, spokeswoman for the state attorney general.

At the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a spokesperson said Wednesday that the agency is aware of the scam. Once a beneficiary divulges his or her Medicare number, it is used to bill fraudulent claims, he said.

“Medicare will never call beneficiaries to ask for or check” their Medicare number, he added.

Criminals follow the news

Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and people with disabilities, has been a target of criminals since it started in July 1965. With more than 62 million current Medicare recipients, it's a target-rich environment for liars, cheats and thieves. Medicare cards were changed beginning in 2018, when an 11-digit alphanumeric account numbers called Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs), replaced the 9-digit Social Security numbers that had identified enrollees.

Scammers “are on the move, developing ways to take advantage of any confusion that may be related to the transition,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warned as the new cards were being rolled out. Some scammers asked beneficiaries to pay for a new card; others threatened to cancel people's health coverage if they didn't share their new number. The FCC said then that stolen data could be used to file fake claims or fill prescriptions or be sold on the dark web, where crooks buy and sell things.

Grossman, the assistant attorney general, urges consumers to be skeptical about unsolicited contacts. “Never believe it when someone reaches out and says they're with the Social Security Administration or Medicare, because it is likely not true,” he said. “They wouldn't call you out of the blue.” Instead call a real phone number for Medicare, either its regional or national headquarters in Washington, he advised.

Just. Hang. Up.

Wolff, whose sister was victimized, echoes the advice of law enforcement experts on what to do when a stranger calls and asks for personal information: Hang up. “Be suspicious of those phone calls that come unsolicited. Have a high index of suspicion,” she said. “Don't try to be nice or polite or whatever. Just hang up the phone.” Scam callers “are not being polite to you, so you don't want to be polite to them."