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Scammers Hit Senior Citizens Claiming to Help with
Medicare Part D
June 1, 2005 Scammers claiming to be insurance
agents are calling senior citizens and offering assistance with the new
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit but what they are really after
is the money in your bank account, warns Illinois Attorney General Lisa
Madigan.
The caller reportedly has asked for the seniors
bank account numbers, the amounts in their accounts, the prescription
drugs they take and where their safe deposit box key is located.
Madigan said such calls are fraudulent attempts to
obtain personal information that could be used to financially exploit
Medicare beneficiaries. She reminded Medicare beneficiaries never to
give out personal financial information over the phone when faced with
unsolicited requests and advised that the best thing to do is simply
hang up the phone.
Beginning this month and continuing through August,
the Social Security Administration will mail application forms to those
Medicare beneficiaries they believe will qualify for low income
assistance. Almost half of all Medicare beneficiaries will receive these
applications. The Social Security Administration applications do not ask
for specific bank account numbers, but may ask for general financial
information.
It is important for Medicare beneficiaries to pay
close attention to mail from the Social Security Administration and the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during this period when
the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit is being implemented.
Madigan advised that if Illinois consumers are
concerned about the legitimacy of a solicitation related to the new
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit, or have any questions about
the new benefit, they should contact the Illinois Senior Health
Insurance Program (SHIP) at 1-800-548-9034 or the Illinois Department on
Aging Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966.
For the senior agencies in all states
Click Here
Every state has a "State Health Insurance Assistance Program" (SHIP).
These programs help Medicare beneficiaries and their families with their
health insurance choices and with problems that might arise. Here is the
Internet's most complete list of SHIP Web Sites and
Links and a list of
Telephone Numbers
for contacting SHIPs. It is provided by the
New York State Office for
the Aging.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
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Click Here
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