Among all the services offered by the United States Government, Medicare is undoubtedly one of the most useful and requested. With this medical help, many Americans have access to medical services that would be impossible to obtain otherwise. For that reason, everything related to Medicare must be measured with a magnifying glass and watched out for at all times.
In this sense, the Medicare card number is fundamental for citizens. Thanks to this number, any American who has access to this medical help is going to be able to contract the services, as well as obtain a series of discounts for their treatments, medications, hospitalizations, etc. Without this number, access to Medicare is impossible.
And the versatility of the use of this number is what makes many scammers and fraudsters want to get citizens’ cards. We must be very careful when using our Medicare number if we do not want these fraudsters to steal our card and use it fraudulently, making us lose rights and even spending thousands of dollars that we will have to pay later.
What to do to avoid Medicare card fraud?
According to Medicare’s own announcement, the best way to prevent someone from stealing our card is to be very careful where we use it. Saying it in public is not a good solution, as well as lending our card to someone. We should always watch out at all times for any of the data related to our Medicare account.
If you know how to avoid a scam, you’re less likely to become a victim. Don’t respond to requests asking for your Medicare information, like your Medicare Number. Get more tips to detect scams at https://t.co/r6eO7aUPAR. pic.twitter.com/sABERbgl9m
— Medicare.gov (@MedicareGov) May 22, 2023
In short, we should not enter our Medicare number in any web page. In addition to that, we must only give our personal number to doctors and medical center managers. We should never use our card outside of these types of places. This is the best way for us to avoid legal problems with our number.
Other tips to avoid having your number stolen
In addition to this general advice, there are a few other tips that can help us avoid losing our Medicare number. In short, what we should do is to use reason and not give out our number in any context. Still, pay attention to these other tips:
- Never accept gift cards that ask for your Medicare number. This practice is common and scammers promise us gift cards just by entering the Medicare name. This should be avoided as it is a scam.
- No one should see your medical record. It doesn’t matter if it looks like someone official or trustworthy. No one but your personal doctor should see your medical record, as well as your card number.
- Do not sign up for a medical service with your Medicare number over the phone. Unless you are the one calling directly. If a person calls you to join a health plan, be suspicious.
Losing your Medicare number can be a real headache. The same goes for your Social Security card, so keep both cards well hidden and don’t let everyone see them.