SUNBURY, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Northumberland County District Attorney’s Office is warning residents of Medicare scams after a woman reported that a scammer took her information to get an opioid prescription in her name.
The Northumberland County Area Agency on Aging‘s client received a phone call from a scammer pretending to be from Medicare, the release states.
They say that caller ID “spoofing” allows a scammer to display any phone number in order to lend credibility to a scam.
The caller told the victim that her Medicare number was being canceled and a new card would be issued to her, the district attorney’s office reports. The victim was then asked to provide their current Medicare number for verification purposes, and once confirmed, a new card would be issued to her.
The release states that some time after the phone call concluded, the victim was contacted by a local pharmacy asking to confirm an opioid prescription in her name. The client declined the prescription and called Medicare to report that her account was compromised.
The Area Agency on Aging states that open enrollment for Medicare begins next month so this type of scam may occur more frequently, the release says.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from Medicare or another agency, hang up and call the known published number for the agency.