(Cicero, Illinois) - Cicero Town President Larry Dominick is warning Cicero's senior residents to be on the look out for con artists working a new Medicare "spoofing" scam.

The Medicare "spoofing" scam works by con artists calling seniors claiming to be Medicare representatives and informing seniors of the details and changes flowing from the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act health care reform legislation. The caller will claim that the new law requires the issuance of new Medicare cards to each recipient, and that bank account information will be necessary in order to activate the new Medicare benefits.

To fool their potential victims, these con artists spoof or falsify the phone number that appears on caller ID so as to give the impression that the call is coming from a legitimate source. Some perpetrators have spoofed the contact information of state and federal agencies to facilitate their scam and deceive consumers.

These Medicare scammers are "spoofing" various numbers, including 866-234-2255. If you return a call to this number, you will hear the following recorded message: "If you have received a call from this number, please contact your Attorney General or the FCC."

President Dominick is reminding Cicero seniors that they should never give out personal information over the phone, unless you are the individual that has initiated the call and you are confident of to whom you are speaking.

"That these people would try to take advantage of senior citizens by posing as Medicare workers is disgusting to me," commented Dominick. "These shameless criminals will stop at nothing, so every must be vigilant to ensure they stay protected. It is always best to err on the side of caution."

If you believe you have been a victim of this Medicare "spoofing" scam, please contact the Illinois Attorney General's Senior Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-5377 or 1-800-964-3013 (TTY) to file a consumer fraud complaint.

President Dominick is also encouraging seniors and all residents to check their credit report regularly. You are entitled to free annual
reports from each of the three major credit agencies. To check your credit report, call 1-877-322-8228 or 1-877-730-4104 (TTY) or visit www.annualcreditreport.com.