Scammers impersonate Medicare during open enrollment to steal personal data

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Consumers shopping for health insurance during open enrollment are being warned to watch out for scammers posing as Medicare representatives and insurance brokers seeking personal information and money.

The Better Business Bureau issued an alert cautioning that fraudsters view the open enrollment period as an opportunity to trick people into sharing sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, Medicare ID numbers and banking information.

Open enrollment for Medicare runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, while Healthcare.gov enrollment begins Nov. 1. Medicare Advantage open enrollment takes place from Jan. 1 to March 31.

"Unfortunately, scammers see this open enrollment period as a chance to trick people out of money and personal information," the BBB stated in its al