How It Works• You receive a call, text, email or in-person visit from a Medicare agent or insurance provider.•You may be urged to act quickly to avoid losing your benefits, pressured to purchase a limited-time offer that promises to save you thousands of dollars or enticed with a free gift.•You could be told that Medicare is issuing new cards and needs to verify your information.•They may request sensitive information, such as your Medicare and Social Security numbers or bank and credit card information.

What You Should Know• Criminals often use caller ID spoofing to make a call appear as if it’s coming from Medicare or a trusted source.•The scammers may sound professional, claim to represent Medicare and have some of your personal information. But in reality, they’re trying to steal your money, Medicare information or identity.•Legitimate government agencies won’t contact you to ask for your Medicare number or other personal information unless you’ve called 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) first.•Medicare is not sending out new cards; anyone suggesting otherwise is lying to you.

What You Should Do• Protect your information and never share your Medicare or Social Security number (or other personal information) with anyone who contacts you out of the blue by phone, text or email or who shows up at your door.•Be suspicious of unsolicited, aggressive, misleading or too-good-to-be-true offers for a new Medicare plan and don’t be rushed into making a decision. You have until Dece‍mber 7 to enroll, and Medicare doesn’t offer extra benefits for signing up early.•Beneficiaries can safely compare plans and change enrollment by going to medicare.gov or calling 8‍00-6‍33-4‍227.•Each state also has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) that offers unbiased, one-on-one counseling to help you navigate the complexities of Medicare.•Contact the Senior Medicare Patrol in your area to report Medicare fraud or abuse and to seek assistance.