Senior News

Roosevelt County Aging Services would like to put out a public service announcement that there are yet again more Medicare scams circulating.

The first one is where a beneficiary receives a phone call saying they may qualify for free dental in Montana. They will ask you for your social security number and your Medicare number. Then they will promptly say that you do not qualify for services and hang up the phone once you give them your personal information. The second scam is where you receive a phone call from 1-800-MEDICARE. Phone number spoofing allows scam artists to trick caller IDs into displaying false information. The scammer will tell you that there will be new red, white, and yellow Medicare cards being sent out. (As opposed to the current red, white and blue cards.) They already have the first five letters and numbers of your Medicare number.

The fact that the phone call comes from a legitimate phone number, and they know a majority of your Medicare number, leads you to believe that this is a legitimate phone call. They are hoping you believe it and will give them the rest of your Medicare number.

They will then ask about any health conditions you have so they can bill Medicare for durable medical equipment, such as knee braces, back braces and catheters, which you will then receive in the mail. If you receive packages in the mail that you did not request, you need to refuse the package so the carrier can return them to the sender. If you are unable to refuse the package call Julie or Alyssa for more information.

Medicare will NOT call you unless you have called them first and asked for them to call you back.

If you believe you have fallen for a scam or given out any personal information, contact Julie or Alyssa at Roosevelt County Aging Services at 406-653-6221 or stop in at 124 Custer St. in Wolf Point. We would love to visit with you and help you with any additional steps to protect your personal information.