Medicare says scammers are targeting Americans during their open enrollment period
Be vigilant if you receive a call from someone who claims to be from Medicare. Officials say it could be a scam.
Scripps News
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the personal information of more than 100,000 Medicare recipients may have been compromised in a recent “data incident.” As a result, some beneficiaries will receive a new identification number.
In an announcement Monday, CMS may have been affected by the misuse of data, including details and information about the services it received, including mailing address, last name, date of birth, zip code, plan premium details, treatment, treatment, treatment, diagnosis code, and healthcare provider identity, CMS said.
CMS noticed suspicious activity linked to Medicare.gov accounts on May 2, 2025, according to a notification that Medicare Call Centers began receiving calls from beneficiaries from beneficiaries about letters confirming the creation of accounts they did not create.
The unspecified “malicious actor” was responsible for creating an account between 2023 and 2025, CMS said. Suspicious accounts have since been disabled, and agents have disabled their ability to create new accounts from foreign IP addresses.
Potentially affected beneficiaries will immediately receive a letter detailing the case, along with a new Medicare ID number and card. CMS says it is not aware of identity theft that is occurring as a result of the violation.
What if you are worried about your Medicare account?
The CMS advises Medicare recipients to pay attention to their account activities. He also advises:
- Check out Medicare summary notifications and explanations of benefits for unfamiliar fees and services.
- Suspicious activities should be reported to the inspector’s office at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) or oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/.
- Get a free annual credit report via www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
- Call 1-877-IDTHEFT at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or online at www.ftc.gov/dtheft to report any concerns regarding identity theft to your local law enforcement and/or the Federal Trade Commission.
- Please contact 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) with further questions or concerns.
