PHOENIX — Open enrollment for Medicare is here, and that means scammers are ramping up their efforts to trick people into handing over their personal information.
Just this week, viewer Nancy contacted Let ABC15 Know about a suspicious call that she received.
"I just received a call from a woman stating she's from Medicare and Medicare is getting rid of paper card and sending out a new plastic card. So, she said that she just needed to verify information," Nancy said. "I told her not to call me anymore and that I'd verify with Medicare."
Fortunately, Nancy did some digging online and realized it was a scam.
Medicare open enrollment creates prime opportunities for fraudsters who prey on people looking to change their coverage. Scammers often pose as insurance companies or agents during this period.
"There's a lot of programs at that point in time that are out there trying to fraud people," AARP Arizona director Dana Marie Kennedy explained. "That is a point in time where you can look at your Medicare benefit and see if there might be a better benefit for you. So sometimes, you know, they'll act as their insurance companies, insurance agents."
That’s why AARP Arizona is working to educate members about scammer tactics, and their biggest message for people: don't wait for someone to call you if you're considering coverage changes.
"We always tell people to reach out to the Area Agency on Aging, as well as the Department of Aging and adult services," Kennedy said. "They have programs specifically called a SHIP program, State Health Insurance Program, ship and they will actually reach out or sit down with somebody on an individual level and go over all their medications, their Medicare options. So, it's really you know, better to be proactive as far as what kind of programs are better for you, rather than wait for somebody to call you try to sell you something that you really don't want or need."
Get Medicare Help from Your Local SHIP Program | SHIP TA Center
AARP hosts online tele-town halls to help people navigate their options. You can click here to find upcoming events on their website.
"We'll educate people on what they need to do to sign up for Medicare," Kennedy explained. "We also use our website, our platform. We're just chock full of information on our AARP.org site."
We want Medicare recipients to know that they don’t have to navigate coverage changes alone. There are resources and trained professionals available to help people avoid falling into scammers' traps during open enrollment.
If you are a victim of Medicare fraud, please report it to AARP Fraud Watch Network or Senior Medicare Patrol.
Do you have a consumer issue? Let ABC15 Know! Email: Consumer@ABC15.com.
