DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Ohio Department of Insurance Director, Judith L. French, is issuing a warning to make the public aware there is a scam targeting the seniors in the state. It involves your personal and private information.
Ohioans have been receiving telephone calls from someone identifying themselves from government organizations, like the Social Security Administration, Medicare and Ohio Department of Insurance. Scammers are telling residents they need either a new Medicare card or are being upgraded from a paper to a plastic card, both are not true, a release said.
The callers are not actually affiliated with the state or federal government, but scammers are on the hunt to get your personal information.
The agencies the residents have received calls from do not call you. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from a government agency, it is important to not give up any of your personal information.
The state of Ohio says in any situation if someone you don’t know contacts you by telephone, shows up at your front door or gets in-touch with you in another unsolicited way, do not give them personal information like your Medicare, Social Security or credit or debit card numbers. Giving away your bank account information or any other personal information is not suggested.
The only way an actual associate from Medicare will reach out to you is if you are a member on a Medicare or Medicare health plan or you have left a message wanting a phone call returned.
2 NEWS spoke with Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) Director Christina Reeg. Reeg says people should not give out their personal information and not pick up the telephone if you don’t know the number.
“Many times, these scammers will spoof phone numbers and make it look like it’s a legitimate office calling.” Reeg said. “Please do not give out your personal information, your Medicare number, your Social Security number, your banking information to individuals that call you.”
In 2017, Medicare announced patients on Medicare would receive new identification cards. Those cards were sent out between April 2018 and 2019. Medicare is not currently sending out new any cards to anyone, unless you physically call and request one.
If you think you or anyone you may know has been targeted by any Medicare scam, you are asked to contact the Ohio Senior Medicare Patrol at 1 (800) 488-6070 or visit their website.
To find out general information about Medicare can contact the Ohio Department of Insurance’s Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP), Ohio’s official Medicare counseling and education program by calling 1 (800) 686-1578, sending an email to oshiipmail@insurance.ohio.gov or going online to the official website here.