New Medicare cards started going out recently. Some of you may have already received yours.
A safety feature of the new cards is that they will not have your Social Security number. Instead, you will now have a unique Medicare Beneficiary Number.
While the new cards were developed in part to deter identity theft and fraud, the scammers are out there trying to take advantage of the change.
The most important thing to know is that the new card costs nothing, and you need to do nothing to receive it.
Nevertheless, scammers are contacting people asking for payments to receive the card. No Medicare office will call you about the new cards, and you should not make payment to anyone to receive yours. Also, if you get an email asking you to click on www.medicare.com to learn about the new cards, don’t do it. Medicare’s domain name is www.medicare.gov.
You may also be contacted by alleged insurance agents who will tell you that if you meet with them, you will get your new card sooner.
As always, never give out your Social Security number. And when the new card comes in the mail, shred your old one.
One final note — getting a new card does not change anything with your Medicare Advantage plan. The new card does not replace the card associated with that plan.