A Medicare Caller Knows Your Name and Address — Giving One More Detail Can Cost You Your Benefits

A caller knowing your name or address doesn’t prove they’re from Medicare. Medicare says beneficiaries should protect their Medicare number like a credit card and avoid sharing personal information on unexpected calls.

The person on the phone knows your full name, your address, and perhaps even that you’re enrolled in Medicare, so when they ask you to “confirm” one more piece of information, the request may not sound suspicious. That’s exactly what makes a Medicare phone scam dangerous: scammers don’t necessarily start the conversation knowing nothing about you. The Federal Trade Commission warns that government impersonators may already have information such as your name or home address and use those details to make themselves sound legitimate. What they’re missing may be the valuable piece, like a Medicare number, Social Security number, bank account number, or other information that can help them commit fraud. Before confirming anything to an unexpected caller, remember that knowing who you are doesn’t prove the caller is who they claim to be.

Your Name and Address Aren’t Proof the Caller Is From Medicare