Missoula Aging Services (MAS) is issuing a warning about an active scam targeting older adults in Missoula.
Several people have reported receiving calls from someone claiming to be from Medicare with what looked like a local number.
Missoula Aging Services notes that Medicare does not need to verify information for people to receive additional benefits.
"Medicare will never call people on Medicare to ask for or check their Medicare number. As with any unsolicited call, do not give personal information over the phone, whether it’s your Medicare number, Social Security number, bank account information, or your full birthday," noted Missoula Aging Services Renee Labrie-Shanks. "Scammers are looking for missing pieces of information to steal your identity.”
Labrie-Shanks added that people should not answer their phones if they don’t recognize the number.
People who believe that they have been a victim of Medicare fraud should contact the Montana Senior Medicare Patrol at 800-551-3191 or visit https://smpresource.org/ for additional information.
MAS notes that scammers take advantage of Medicare Open Enrollment — which runs until December 7, 2023 — and take advantage of the annual open enrollment period to try and scam individuals out of their Medicare number.
