Yuma police warn of Medicare scam targeting older residents

A caller ID that appears to come from Onvida Health can be enough to lower a guard, and that is exactly what scammers are counting on. Yuma police and Onvida Health warned on April 16 that fraudsters are phoning older residents, claiming a Medicare card has expired and pressing them to hand over personal information that can be used for identity theft, fake claims, or other fraud.

The warning carries real weight in Yuma County, where 21.3% of residents are 65 or older, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Onvida Health, the former Yuma Regional Medical Center, said the scam hits the elderly community hardest because that group is most vulnerable to a health-care-related call that sounds official. The health system now includes a hospital with more than 400 inpatient beds, more than 40 outpatient clinics, two emergency departments, more than 450 providers and more than 4,000 employees, making it a familiar name to many families across Yuma and surrounding communities.

The mechanics of the scam are simple and effective. A caller can spoof a local-looking number, claim there is a problem with a Medicare card and then ask for a Medicare number, other private details or even money. Medicare says it will never call beneficiaries uninvited and ask for personal or private information, will never call to sell anything, and will never visit a home. The agency also says beneficiaries should not share a Medicare Number unless they contacted Medicare first or gave permission to be contacted.

Officials said the safest response is to hang up and verify the call through official channels. If the caller asks for information, money or threatens to cancel benefits, Medicare says to end the call and dial 1-800-MEDICARE. Yuma police said residents should never give personal information to anyone they do not fully trust. The red flags are the same ones families can repeat to older relatives: a claim that the Medicare card has expired, a request for a Medicare number, pressure to act immediately, demands for payment, or any threat to cut off health benefits.

The Federal Trade Commission says Medicare impersonators often try to steal Medicare numbers to file fraudulent claims, and they get especially active around Medicare Open Enrollment, which runs from October 15 to December 7. That makes the warning more than a single local scam alert. It is a reminder that fraud prevention now depends as much on digital caution as on law enforcement.

Onvida Health’s main campus is at 2400 S. Avenue A in Yuma, and the organization’s non-emergency number is 928-344-2000. In a community with a large older population, police and health officials are trying to make one message stick before the next deceptive call lands: a real Medicare card does not suddenly expire because a stranger says so.