Multiple Medicare scams reported

State officials say seven residents gave out their Medicare numbers in December after being targeted by scammers.

The victims all received calls asking for the information, several handing them over after getting fraudulent warnings that their numbers were invalid or that Medicare is replacing their card. Two also gave out their Social Security and bank account information to the scammers, authorities said.

“Once your Social Security number is out there, it’s a lifetime of monitoring,” said Renee Labrie-Shanks, Montana Senior Medicare Patrol’s program manager.

So far in 2019, about $21,000 in document fraud cases were sent to the Office of Inspector General by Montana Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). Nationally, authorities estimate that scams lead to $60 billion in fraudulent Medicare payments each year.

State officials remind residents that Medicare will never call and ask for personal information over the phone. Always err on the side of caution, authorities said. If a resident receives a call purporting to be from Medicare, take a message and then independently verify the number before calling back.

Anyone inquiring about the legitimacy of a call or is concerned they have given out personal information to the wrong source is encouraged to contact Montana SMP at 1-800-551-3191.