Other LanguagesOLYMPIA— Attorney General Bob Ferguson has learned Washington residents are receiving calls from scammers posing as Medicare officials seeking personal information, claiming to need the information to issue new Medicare cards.
“The Office of the Attorney General is dedicated to protecting seniors— and all consumers in Washington— from scammers in the marketplace,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “Seniors need to know that Medicare will never call them offering to replace their cards, they’ll never call seeking personal information and they’ll never charge you to replace your cards.”
These types of scams— also known as “phishing” scams— take a variety of forms. Some scammers will claim to be from your bank or credit card company. Others will tell you they are from Medicare or social security. The scammers may use phone calls, text messages or e-mail to contact you—even Facebook. They all have the same goal: obtaining your personal information so they can commit identity theft or access your bank account.
People can protect themselves from “phishing” scams by recognizing the signs:
• Legitimate companies or government organizations know to never call individuals and ask for their personal information— like social security numbers or bank accounts— over the phone.
• If you question whether the call is legitimate, ask the caller to provide your personal information for you to confirm.
• Callers may also contact the organization the scammer claims to be representing to double check.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson is dedicated to running the state’s largest public law firm as an independent, non-partisan office. His priorities are protecting consumers and seniors against fraud, keeping communities safe, enforcing environmental protections and providing assistance to our veterans.
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Contacts: Janelle Guthrie, Director of Communications, (360) 586-0725