Protecting Your Personal Information from Identity Theft and Fraud
Personal information includes things such as your name and Social Security, Medicare,
bank account, and credit card numbers. This information can be used to commit fraud
or other crimes and is known as identity theft. To help protect you from this serious
crime, Medicare has developed the following rules about the Medicare drug plans and
the information you may receive from them:
Know who you can trust. Only give out your personal information to someone you trust
or to a doctor or supplier approved by Medicare. Examples include:
- Trusted family and friends
- Senior centers and other local organizations working with Medicare
- State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit
www.medicare.gov to get the telephone number)
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048
- The Medicare website at www.medicare.gov
If there is missing information from an application for extra help you submitted,
someone from the Social Security Administration may contact you. They will only ask
for the information that is missing.
Know the rules about when someone can ask for your personal information.
- Always protect your Medicare number as you would your credit card information
- Unless you are sure the person you are talking to is working with Medicare, do
not give out your personal information
- Medicare prescription drug plans cannot:
- Charge a fee to enroll in a plan
- Send you unwanted emails
- Ask for payment over the telephone or internet; a bill must be sent
- Enroll you in a prescription drug plan over the telephone unless you call them
or you are adding prescription drug coverage to a Medicare Advantage Plan or
other Medicare Plan you already have
Medicare prescription drug plans can call you to tell you about the plans if you have
not placed your telephone number on the FTC’s Do Not Call Registry.
If you think someone is misusing your personal information you can call:
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048
- The Fraud Hotline of the HHS Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-447-8477
- The Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft hotline at 1-877-438-4338, TTY 1-866-653-4261, to make a report
If your Medicare or Social Security card is lost or stolen, go to www.socialsecurity.gov
or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, TTY 1-800-325-0778. If you receive benefits
from the Railroad Retirement Board, call your local RRB office, go to www.rrb.gov, or
call 1-800-808-0772.
For more information about protecting yourself from identity theft, go to www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Last Modified on: 12/3/2007 4:50:25 PM
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