Mokane woman warns of "Medicare' scam

A Mokane woman who received a suspicious call from someone claiming to be with Medicare Thursday is hoping other area seniors will heed her warning to beware such contact.

Ruth Ann Clark said she received the call from a man - of whom she noted, "English was not his first language" - who said he was with Medicare and was contacting her about a potential refund.

"He gave me his ID number, and my account file number. I have Part B, and he said they were looking into money I had spent on medications," Clark said. "He told me I had spent too much and they were going to refund me $300. He even knew my bank and said they would be sending me a direct deposit in two to three days."

Already concerned that the call was strange, Clark said she became immediately suspicious when the caller asked for her bank account number, telling her she did not need to call Medicare to confirm anything because he was with Medicare.

"I hung up, called Medicare, and (the woman with whom Clark spoke) said they are not refunding anyone anywhere," Clark said.

She said her next step was to contact the Missouri Attorney General's office to file a complaint.

"He said it was definitely a scam, and that they hadn't had any complaints about this one for Medicare," Clark said. "He told me I should call the newspaper."

Clark said she followed that suggestion because she wanted to make sure "nobody falls for the scam."

Anyone who receives a similar call or any other kind of suspicious communication from individuals fishing for personal information should file a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General's Office online at http://ago.mo.gov/consumercomplaint.htm, or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 392-8222.