As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, so do the scams associated with it. Because older adults are at greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, scammers may target older populations.
What Can You Do?
- Contact your own doctor if you are experiencing potential symptoms of COVID-19.
- Do NOT give out your Medicare number, Social Security number, bank account or other personal information in response to unsolicited calls, texts, or emails.
- While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials may contact you if they believe you may have been exposed to the virus, they will NOT need to ask you for insurance or financial information.
- Carefully review your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB), looking for errors or claims for products or services that weren’t received.
- The federal government will be mailing or direct-depositing economic impact payments for most Pennsylvanians. Do NOT provide any banking information to anyone who contacts you on the phone, through email or text messages, or on social media. Ignore solicitations that offer to get you this payment early or get you “more” money. Just hang up or delete the email.
Follow the instructions of your state or local government for other actions you should be taking in response to COVID-19. For help, to report a scam, or for more information, call the PA-SMP at 1-800-356-3606.