Medicare 2026

Guard Your Medicare Card: Fraud Tips for Germantown

GERMANTOWN, Md. — Your red, white, and blue Medicare card looks simple, but the number printed on it is powerful. In the wrong hands, it can be used to bill Medicare for care you never received, order medical equipment in your name, or set off a paperwork mess that takes months to unwind.

Your Medicare Card Is a Key — Treat It Like One

The good news: a few plain habits can keep your number safe. And if something does go wrong, Maryland has free help ready — no sales pitch attached.

Who Should Ever See Your Medicare Number

Think of your Medicare number the way you think of your Social Security number. Share it only with people you trust and have a reason to give it to:

• Your doctors, hospitals, pharmacists, and their billing staff
• Medicare itself (1-800-MEDICARE) or SSA when you call them
• Your insurer, if you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan
• A caregiver or family member you've chosen to help you

That's really the whole list. Medicare will not call, text, email, or knock on your door asking you to "verify" your number. If someone does, hang up or close the door. It's not rude — it's smart.

Common Scams to Watch For

Fraudsters get creative, but most schemes follow a pattern. Some to know:

• "Free" braces, genetic tests, or COVID tests. A caller offers something at no cost and just needs your Medicare number. That "free" item gets billed to Medicare, and you may be stuck if the claim is denied later.
• Fake Medicare calls. Someone claims your card is being "upgraded" to a plastic or chip version. There is no new card. Your paper card is still valid.
• Door-to-door plan pitches. Legitimate agents are not allowed to show up uninvited to sell you a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• Phony "refunds" or "premium adjustments." If a caller pressures you to pay by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency, it's a scam every time.

A Local Snapshot for Germantown

Germantown sits in Montgomery County, where seniors have a wide range of Medicare choices during the Annual Enrollment Period each fall (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7). More choices are a good thing, but they also mean more marketing calls, mailers, and TV ads — and more chances for bad actors to blend in with legitimate ones.

If you're not sure whether a call or letter is real, don't decide on the spot. Hang up and call Medicare or your local SHIP office directly using a number you look up yourself.

Read Your Medicare Summary Notice

One of the most effective anti-fraud tools costs nothing: actually reading the notices Medicare sends you.

• Original Medicare members get a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) every three months.
• Medicare Advantage and Part D members get an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from their plan.

Scan for services, dates, or providers you don't recognize. Even a small unfamiliar charge is worth a phone call. You can also create a free account at MyMedicare.gov to see claims sooner.

What 2026 Looks Like — and Why Scammers May Use It as Bait

Some real 2026 Medicare facts you may hear referenced (correctly or not) in ads and calls:

• Part D will have a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on covered prescriptions.
• The Part D deductible maximum is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments — it's optional and free to join through your plan.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

These are program-wide facts, not offers. No one needs your Medicare number to "sign you up" for the drug cap or the donut hole change — those apply automatically.

If You Think Your Number Has Been Misused

Take a breath. This is fixable, and you're not the first person it's happened to.

1. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and report what you saw on your MSN or EOB. 2. Contact the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) — a free federally funded program that helps beneficiaries investigate suspected fraud. 3. In Maryland, reach the Maryland SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) and Maryland SMP through the Maryland Department of Aging. 4. Check your credit reports if you shared other personal information.

Medicare can issue a new Medicare number if yours has been compromised.