Government programs are often the target of criminal scammers and Medicare is one of the biggest ones. Thankfully, a nationwide network of Senior Medicare Patrol volunteers often sees these scams first and warn others. Here are three scams they are seeing in 2024:

• False billing for diabetes treatment has been seen on Medicare summary notices of people who don’t have diabetes and didn’t receive a related device. This is one example of how crooks charge Medicare for services not provided. To guard against this, check monthly Medicare statements carefully and report any false charges.

• Free products are another common Medicare scam, however the product you receive – if you get anything at all – is usually cheap and inferior. Only share your Medicare number with your healthcare providers, and not with someone offering “free” products or services.

• Lastly, free genetic testing is once again a trending Medicare scam. This often happens at health fairs where a scammer will offer a free genetic test that only requires a cheek swab and your Medicare number. Medicare rarely covers genetic testing, and this is just a ploy to get your Medicare number.  

Be a fraud fighter!  If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.    

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.  

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Go to aarp.org/me or call 1-866-554-5380.