Other ways to monitor for Medicare fraud is to record doctor appointments and services and to report unrecognized claims to CMS by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Gladfelter was joined at the annual Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) conference by Gary S. Brown, elder abuse coordinator with the New York State Attorney’s Office, who warned of phone scams involving the serial number of gift cards.
“The longer you stay on the phone with a stranger, the more likely you will be a victim,” Brown said.
Gift card phone scams typically involve a fake utility bill, phony foreign lottery winnings or false claims that a grandchild is in legal trouble.
“Once the grandparent provides the serial number of the gift card, the caller can then transfer the balance onto another gift card without a trace,” Brown told the audience.
If the gift card was purchased with a credit card, proceeds lost through fraud may be refunded through the credit card provider.
Another rising scam involves romance online. The senior citizen may be groomed for six weeks to six months on dating sites like Match.com without even a single face-to-face date before they are asked for money.
“We’re getting complaints weekly from more and more seniors who are online,” said Brown. “Their emotions get played for manipulation purposes while loneliness and love motivate them to give money.”