COMMON MEDICARE SCAMS
Scams for Obtaining Medicare Numbers
Scammers target Medicare beneficiaries to obtain their Medicare, Social Security, and bank account numbers, which they can use for a variety of fraudulent purposes.
- Sometimes the Medicare number is simply stolen by an employee at a nursing home, long-term care facility, hospital, clinic, etc. and then sold to organized crime units or gang leaders, who use the information to bill Medicare.
- In other cases, perpetrators provide an offer for “free services” but require the person’s Medicare number to provide those services.
- In some instances, scam artists target financially needy individuals and offer to pay them for their Medicare number or pay them to receive services they don’t need.
Popular Scams
![Plastic Medicare Card Fraud Alert. Don't fall for anyone trying to sell you a plastic medicare card. Guard your card and your number like a credit card.](https://www.eastalabamaaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SMP_Plastic_Card_Scam_Flyer_-1.jpg)
![](https://www.eastalabamaaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/SMP.jpg)