MHI – Q: Why would Social Security call me?

A: They wouldn’t. People impersonating the Social Security Administration (SSA) may call you, but legitimate SSA representatives will not contact you and ask you to verify personal information.

People behind these scams will sometimes take a topic that has been in the news and then twist it to suit their purposes. One scam currently making the rounds is associated with new Medicare cards that show a randomly generated Medicare number instead of one that includes your Social Security number.

Everyone with Medicare will receive a new Medicare card next year that does not show their Social Security number. In an attempt to reduce fraud, Social Security numbers will be replaced by randomly generated Medicare numbers.  Scammers are taking advantage of this by calling people on Medicare and identifying themselves as employees of Medicare or SSA. They’ll ask for any or all of the following information: your name, address, Social Security number and bank account information. Hang up! Someone is trying to take advantage of you!