In 2015, legislation was updated by Congress that mandated that the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services discontinue the use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards for seniors.
Instead, a randomly generated number was used to identify each Medicare participant. This could lead to someone giving up private and identifying information that could be used to carry out fraud now or in the future. Anyone eligible for Medicare should be wary of communication over the phone, especially anything that demands personally identifying details upfront.
Attorney Noreen Murphy serves on the Abuse Task Force in Arlington and notes that the Greater Boston area task force makes a good point about this attempt to deter fraud.
A number of different fraud problems have emerged lately including scammers who attempt to make telephone calls to senior citizens trying to get this randomly generated number by trying to ensure correct billing, updating records, or informing them that they will be receiving a new card in the mail.
The open enrollment season initiates on October 17th and runs through December 7th and this is a very popular time for scammers to reach out and inform them that they need to purchase a particular plan or switch plans. This could involve the disclosure of personally identifying information accidentally.
Do you want to talk about putting together a comprehensive plan for your estate as well as how to avoid some of the most common scams affecting the elderly throughout Massachusetts? Your ability to plan into the future can benefit you as well as your loved ones for many years to come. The right Massachusetts estate planning attorney should be contacted to schedule a consultation.