Fraud Alert: Scammers Calling About New Medicare Cards

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will start mailing out new and improved Medicare cards in May. With these new cards, the Medicare Claim Number is no longer based on the beneficiary's Social Security number. It will be a randomly-generated series of 11 letters and numbers.

The goal is to make seniors less vulnerable to identity theft. If someone steals this new Medicare number, it can't be used to access your bank account or steal your tax refund or Social Security benefits.

Unfortunately, the switch to the new cards has created a golden opportunity for scammers. Scammers are calling seniors trying to get payment or personal information, saying they’re necessary in order for you to get your new Medicare card.

Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give us personal or private information to get your new Medicare Number and card. There is no temporary card. There is no activation process or fee.

The CMS will be sending out the new cards in the mail, so Medicare recipients are not required to take any action, other than making sure the agency has the correct mailing address on file. The CMS will begin sending out new Medicare cards in April 2018, distributing them across the country over 12 months. See the schedule for your state here.