Your Insurance … with Michele Campbell: Be careful, there are a plethora of Medicare scammers out there

Some bad agents make phone calls with a sense of urgency and ask for your Medicare number in order to check your status.

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By Michele Campbell

It’s sad to see seniors being taken advantage of, but it’s happening every day and we want to help protect you.

I have had several clients call me recently asking if Medicare would call and ask …  Here are some scenarios, not just from Medicare scammers but Insurance Agent scammers too.

First of all, Medicare will never ask you for your Medicare number or your personal information. They already know it and they never call you, they will mail you. As with any scam, there is a sense of urgency, like to protect your account because it’s been compromised, they need to take care of the situation right away.

They don’t want you to think it over too long, because you’ll figure out that something is fishy here and that you shouldn’t give them this information. If they really try to push that this is Medicare, then ask them for a phone number and a reference number to the call. Then you can call back at 1-800-Medicare and give the reference number.

I can almost guarantee you that Medicare will have no idea what this is about and there is no issue with your account.

The other area to watch out for is the marketing mailers the agents are sending out, such as postcards, fliers and letters, looking very official and advising you that you’re entitled to these benefits.

Most of it is hogwash! If you look at the bottom of the mailer, you will see that it says “Not affiliated with a government agency” or something like that. They have gotten very clever and use red, white and blue to make it look very official.

The marketing has gotten so good these days that it gives you, the consumer, the feeling like you’re missing out on something. I get it! I’ve seen these and they are good. You have to remember that it is just blanket marketing.

Often, the benefits they are offering are not even available in your area, or if they are, your doctors might not be in that network. There is more to consider than just the “FREE” benefits that you’re “ENTITLED” to.

Some bad agents out there also make phone calls with a sense of urgency and ask for your Medicare number in order to check your status.

They will even act like they represent an insurance company, appearing as if they are a customer service representative from that insurance company.

This is a major compliance violation and if you ever feel you are being lied to, especially when they are pushing you to do something, you should get as much information on them as possible and report them to Medicare at 1-800-Medicare. We too report the bad agents.

If you are ever in doubt if something is real or fake, please feel free to reach out and we will do our best to figure it out. Usually we can tell right away.