Welcome, autumn: Leaves change color and flutter to the ground. Daylight hours shorten.

Scam artists also descend like locusts upon unsuspecting seniors who are changing coverage options during Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. The only difference from the insects? Pesky scammers strike every year, with nary a respite.

Medicare is the government-sponsored health insurance program for people ages 65 and older, as well as for those under 65 with specific disabilities. President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation establishing Medicare (and Medicaid) into law in 1965.

AARP Virginia recently alerted seniors that Medicare con artists are back at it. Frankly, I doubt they ever lay dormant.

“Medicare scams spike during open enrollment season with criminals posing as insurance providers calling and emailing about free gifts or limited-time offers,” the nonprofit organization said in a news release. “These scams are all designed to steal your money, Medicare information, or your identity.”

Don’t share sensitive personal information with anyone who calls, emails or visits promoting a Medicare plan. “Legitimate Medicare plans can only contact you if you’ve requested information or if you have an existing relationship with them,” the release added.

“Seniors are inundated with ads” this time of year, said Jane Constantineau, marketing director for Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia. Elderly Virginians often are looking for help to navigate their options, but that sometimes leaves them vulnerable to individuals and scam labor camps, often overseas, trying to cash in.

Martin Bailey volunteers with AARP Virginia, giving anti-fraud presentations to seniors. 

“Scammers can ‘spoof’ a phone number,” Bailey told me. Spoofing means your caller ID picks up numbers that disguise where the call is actually coming from.

If you don’t recognize the call, let it go to voicemail, he advised. Scammers don’t usually waste their time leaving a message. Even when they do, Bailey said, don’t return the message: Find another listing for the so-called company, and dial that number to see whether it’s real.

If you receive a text message on your phone from unknown senders, don’t click on the attached links. They could download a virus on your device.

Why do con artists go through all this trouble and subterfuge? “Money,” Bailey said simply.

The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network collects information about problems that Americans encounter for all types of fraud, not just Medicare. The data book for 2023, released earlier this year, tallied 2.6 million fraud reports costing $10.3 billion in total losses.

The median loss was $500. People ages 70 and over, though, had a higher median loss compared to younger Americans. Imposter scams and identity theft in government benefit programs were key areas of monetary losses.

Virginia ranked ninth-highest among the states in fraud reports per 100,000 people. The commonwealth had nearly 98,000 incidents, and Virginia reported $205 million in losses.

A FTC spokesman told me that in 2023, the agency received 743 reports from Virginians of suspected Medicare imposters. Four people reported losses totaling $63,680.

Various news articles suggest Medicare loses $60 billion annually to fraud nationwide.

This topic is personal to me because I turn 65 this year. I’m officially old. My thinning hair and arthritic knees had already been clues.

I had to delve into my Medicare options after decades of employer-sponsored health care. The different parts of Medicare (A, B and D, plus Advantage or supplemental) can be confusing.

You would’ve thought, however, that I’d advertised my date of birth. I received dozens of unsolicited – and sketchy – phone calls this year. Many came to my cell phone with the note, “Spam Risk.” Here are just two. (I answered them, in part, because I figured they would be fodder for a future column.)

April 18

(Call originates from an 804 area code, supposedly)

Caller: I’m Christina at the Health Care Center.

Me: What city and state are you in?

(Click.)

April 23

Caller: I’m Olivia. I’m calling from the Healthcare Information Center. We’re calling with the latest Medicare info.

Me: Olivia, where is the center located?

(Click. Why is that question a problem if the caller is legit?)

What can Virginians do to protect themselves?

One resource is the Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol, a grant-funded program from the feds that helps protect against and detect Medicare fraud and abuse. It does outreach and education. Call 800-938-8885. 

The patrols are in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

You can also find a wealth of information at medicare.gov. Are you more comfortable talking to a program representative one-on-one? Then call 1-800-633-4227. The site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for some federal holidays.

Protect yourself. Don’t get cheated. Prevent scammers from cashing in at your expense – and the government’s.