Medicare Scam Alert
Scammers may call about your new Medicare card to trick you into sharing your personal information — like your current Medicare Number. Remember, Medicare will never call you uninvited or ask for your personal or private information to get your new Medicare Number and card. There are very limited situations in which Medicare can call you.
Here are 2 tips to avoid Medicare scams:
- Guard your Medicare Number and card. Only give your Medicare Number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, your insurers, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf.
- Hang up on fraudsters. If someone asks for your information, for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your personal information, hang up and call us at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
New Medicare Card coming soon-Consumer information from the FTC
The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) empowers and assists Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse. SMPs are here to answer your questions. Advice is free, confidential and objective. Medicare is complicated. What may seem like an error to the beneficiary may simply be the result of a misunderstanding about benefits. It may also be abuse, which involves billing Medicare for services that are not covered or are not correctly coded. The Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol is here to help, so call or email with your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I was billed for a service I didn't receive. What do I do?
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Contact the Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol at 888-696-7213 / dora_seniormedicarepatrol@state.co.us.
- I believe there is an error on my Medicare Bill.
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Contact the health care provider or the company that paid the bill. If they don't resolve the issue, contact the Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol at 888-696-7213 / dora_seniormedicarepatrol@state.co.us.
- What if I suspect Medicare fraud?
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Report it! Contact the Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol at 888-696-7213 / dora_seniormedicarepatrol@state.co.us.
- Somebody is trying to sell me a Medicare plan and I don't know if they're legitimate.
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Ask the caller for his or her name, company name, and callback number. You can call back later to verify the legitimacy of the source and the offer.
- Are they asking for credit card information?
- Are they asking for banking information?
- Are they asking for personal information like your Medicare or Social Security number?
- Do they say the offer is only good today? A real company will give you time to think and verify.
- Do they know something about you but ask to verify that the information is correct?
If any of these are happening, HANG UP and contact the Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol at 888-696-7213 / dora_seniormedicarepatrol@state.co.us.
For these or other questions, contact us at: Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol: 888-696-7213 / dora_seniormedicarepatrol@state.co.us / 1560 Broadway, Suite 850 Denver, CO 80202. In your message, email or letter, please include your phone number.
SMPs are grant-funded projects of the federal U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). The Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol is administered by the Colorado Division of Insurance.