Medicare’s annual open enrollment period runs from October 15 through December 7.
As beneficiaries and new enrollees review their health and prescription drug coverage and options, criminals may pose as Medicare representatives or Medicare Advantage agents and try to steal Medicare numbers, financial or other personal information.
Know two things: unsolicited contact about Medicare is highly suspicious, and Medicare will never contact you out of the blue.
For helpful resources on enrollment and open season, check out medicare.gov, aarp.org/medicare or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, a federally funded resource with trained counselors that can answer your questions in person, online or by phone. Search online for help at shiphelp.org/SHIPs or call 877-839-2675.
Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.