Mexico Area Chamber Of Commerce Warns Of Medicare Scams
The following news release was sent out from the Mexico Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
We are coming up on Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Oct 15 – Dec 7 and senior’s phones will start ringing even more.
These mega call centers have figured out ways to skirt around the Medicare rules.
A licensed insurance agent is NOT allowed to cold call (or door knock) seniors to sell them Medicare Advantage Plans.
This is non-compliant.
They will always say there is a better plan than what a person currently has, a new card, a new plan, new amazing benefits just to get a person’s Medicare number (MBI).
Some scams want the MBI to fraudulently bill things and some want it to change their insurance.
The people that they target the most are low income and elderly. They prey on their fear and confusion.
What we can do as a community:
Tell anyone on Medicare to treat their Medicare Number (MBI) like a credit card number. Do not give it out to ANYONE they do not know.
Report any door knockers to the city or police station.
If you know someone that has been taken advantage of, file a complaint with Medicare & the department of insurance.
We tell people to not talk to them at ALL. Just hang up. It seems that when people talk to them at all, they will call more, not less.
There are state AND national no call lists.
There are good senior insurance agents out here, but there are many bad ones that need to be taught that they cannot take advantage of the seniors in & around Mexico Missouri.
Call the Chamber to get a licensed agent.
