Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol receives increased reports during open enrollment period
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Medicare open enrollment is taking place now through Dec. 7, and the Federal Trade Commission is warning people to be aware of scammers.
FTC Consumer Education Specialist Bridget Small said scammers are taking advantage of all of the advertising being done by insurance companies during the open enrollment period.
"People can change their options during open enrollment, so scammers try and slip in there with calls and emails, text messages, even social media, and pretend that they're offering something, too," Small said.
In Missouri, Director of Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol Rona McNally said they regularly receive reports of unsolicited phone calls offering health and medical services, but they see an increase this time of year.
She said there are three red flags something is a scam.
Unsolicited contact
Unsolicited phone calls, emails, text messages, social media messages or even people knocking on doors claiming to be from Medicare should be a warning sign that something is a scam.
"Medicare doesn't come knocking on people's doors, Medicare does not call you and ask you for your information," McNally said.
The FTC advises to ignore any of these messages and don't click on any links or open attachments. Small said if someone is concerned they might be missing an important message about their coverage, they should hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE, contact their current insurance provider or look at their account online.
Asking for personal information
Small said scammers will use words or images to make them seem like they are with the government, but in reality, they just want access to people's information. She said they'll often ask for Medicare and Social Security numbers, as well as banking and financial information.
"Medicare won't call and ask for your Medicare number," Small said. "They have it."
If someone has fallen victim to a scam and has given out personal information, both experts say to contact the corresponding organization such as the Social Security office or the bank, and then report the fraud to both the FTC and Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol.
Sense of urgency
McNally said scammers often create a sense of urgency, but insists no one will need to make a coverage decision the same day they are contacted.
"I mean, who wants to lose their insurance coverage if they feel threatened by that?" McNally said. "So, they generally a lot of times will provide the information out of fear."
Senior Medicare Patrol estimates Medicare loses $60 billion annually to fraud, errors and abuse.
"We have a growing number of individuals that are becoming eligible for Medicare every year," McNally said. "For the program to last and be able to help everyone, we need to stop the losses to fraud."
She encourages people needing help with Medicare enrollment or questions to use an unbiased resource, and recommends three agencies:
- Missouri State Health Insurance Assistance, 800-390-3330
- Area Agencies on Aging, 573-668-8824
- Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol, 888-515-6565
