Better Business Bureau Alerts Consumers About Medicare Scam - WBOY.com: Clarksburg, Morgantown: News, Sports, Weather

Better Business Bureau Alerts Consumers About Medicare Scam

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The Better Business Bureau wants consumers to be aware of a Medicare scam.

The BBB said consumers have reported receiving phone calls from a person claiming to represent Medicare.

The caller offers new Medicare cards with extra benefits, and asks for the name of the person's bank.

"These individuals can be very aggressive, often calling many times and at all hours of the day to wear down potential victims. They may have limited information about the person that's easily obtained from public databases that they use to make the call seem legitimate," said Frank Cilona, BBB CEO.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice when dealing with such calls:

  • Medicare, Medicaid and the Social Security Administration will not call you to update information or issue a new card. If you get one of these calls, hang up and report it to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  • The majority of the Medicare related scams involve some form of identity theft. Do not give out your personal information to unknown callers that request it.
  • If you are unsure if a call is legitimate, hang up and verify by calling the agency or checking with the Better Business Bureau.

You can contact the BBB to check on a company or file a complaint by calling 800-362-0494.