Recent 'Medicare' Releated Phone Scam Targeting Northern West Virginia Consumers
October 7, 2012

Several West Virginia consumers, especially those who north of the Buckhannon area, have received phone calls over the past few days from scam artists attempting to obtain bank account information. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division urges people to use caution when dealing with inbound telephone calls and not to share banking or credit card information with unknown callers. This latest scam begins with the caller telling the consumer that all Medicare beneficiaries are going to need new Medicare cards. To receive the new cards, beneficiaries need to share banking or credit card information to be able to process the fee for the card or the shipping/handling. Consumers are warned not to share any information with these callers – this is a scam. People who receive these calls are urged to hang up, but if they have caller ID, please report the telephone number the call came from along with the time and date of the call to the Attorney General’s Office at 800-368-8808 or to the West Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol (1-800-799-4638).