There’s a new scam making the rounds, and it’s targeted Medicare recipients.

Recipients have reported receiving phone calls from people claiming to be Medicare representatives, asking for a Medicare card number. With that card number, scammers can access a Social Security number and financial information, according to a report from Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program.

“This is a scam. Individuals from Medicare will never call to ask you this information. Medicare has this information at their fingertips,” a SHIIP press release stated.

Medicare is a federal insurance program that covers people over the age of 65, as well as some people with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also reported that scammers are able to alter caller ID to make it appear as though the call is coming from the agency’s hotline.

“Seniors should never give out their Medicare number to anyone other than their doctor or a Medicare provider. They also should not give out their Medicare number for ‘free’ medical services. There was a scam where someone was promising medical equipment,” Annette Eubanks, aging program director at the Mid-East Commission, wrote in an email.

To combat scams, Congress voted in 2015 to remove all Social Security information from Medicare cards, replacing it with a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, according to the SHIIP release.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will begin issuing the new cards in April of next year, and expects to complete the process by December 2019, the release stated. There is no charge to receive a new card.

“Anyone seeking to have a beneficiary pay money for the new card is a scammer. Be especially careful of anyone seeking to have access to your checking account to pay any fee for the new card. Beneficiaries are especially vulnerable if they are isolated, frail or may have cognitive loss. Caregivers should be on the alert for these kinds of scams,” according to the release.

“We have handouts for anyone interested in learning more about avoiding scams and provide presentations to groups,” Eubanks added.

Those who have questions or suspect they have fallen victim to Medicare scams should call SHIIP at 855-408-1212, or the Mid-East Commission Area Agency on Aging at 252-974-1835.