FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra wants to help Medicare beneficiaries and seniors protect themselves against identity theft and fraud.
The Attorney General announced on Tuesday that in an effort to prevent the fraud seen with the old card, 5.7 million California seniors and people with disabilities will receive a new medicare card.
“If identity thieves get a hold of your name and your Social Security number they can open new credit and bank accounts,” said Attorney General Becerra. “It is important that all seniors protect themselves from fraud and keep their information safe. A new Medicare card that no longer includes a person’s Social Security number is one important way of achieving this goal.”
Greg Dill, the Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said CMS will begin issuing the new Medicare cards this month that assign each beneficiary a new 11-digit Medicare identification number.
Dill says if your address has changed you’ll need to verify your new address. The easiest way is by creating a social security account or by logging into your existing account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/
Attorney General Becerra said “we will continue to take proactive steps to help seniors detect and avoid identity theft scams and fraud. We will vigorously prosecute those who target seniors or exploit our most vulnerable communities.”
Californians who believe they are victims of identity theft should visit the Attorney General’s Identity Theft First Aid page: https://oag.ca.gov/idtheft/first-aid
If you suspect Medicare fraud call the hotline; 1-800-MEDICARE or for Medicaid fraud call 1-800-822-6222.
Click to listen to the report by Liz Kern:
