Medicare Scam Alerts

COVID-19 Vaccines Medicare covers the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you, so if anyone asks you to share your Medicare number or pay for access to the vaccine, you can bet it’s a scam.

Here’s what to know:

• You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.

• You can’t pay to get early access to a vaccine.

• Don’t share your personal or financial information if someone calls, texts, or emails you promising access to the vaccine for a fee.

Protect Your Medicare Number

Con artists may try to get your Medicare number or personal information so they can steal your identity and commit Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud results in higher health care costs and taxes for everyone.

Protect yourself from Medicare fraud. Guard your Medicare card like it’s a credit card. Remember:

• Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or other personal information unless you’ve given them permission in advance.

• Medicare will never call you to sell you anything.

• You may get calls from people promising you things if you give them a Medicare number. Don’t do it.

• Medicare will never visit you at your home.

• Medicare can’t enroll you over the phone unless you called first.

• Only give personal information like your Medicare number to doctors, insurers acting on your behalf, or trusted people in the community who work with Medicare like your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

Be familiar with how Medicare uses your personal information. If you join a Medicare plan, the plan will let you know how it will use your personal information.

Reporting Medicare Fraud

You can report suspected Medicare fraud by:

• Calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

• If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, call the Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (MEDIC) at 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379).

• Have this information before you report fraud: Your name and Medicare number; the provider’s name and any identifying information you may have; the service or item you’re questioning and when it was supposedly given or delivered; the payment amount approved and paid by Medicare; and the date on your Medicare Summary Notice or claim.

To learn more about Medicare in general and how to prevent Medicare fraud, visit Medicare.gov.

—from Medicare.gov