To help protect your identity, Medicare began mailing new, more secure Medicare cards to individuals enrolled in Medicare. Due to the large amount of individuals enrolled in Medicare, participants should expect to receive their new card starting as early as April 2018...
News Archive
Protection & Security
We are committed to educating our community members about scams targeting seniors in Santa Clara County; as well as providing up-to-date information offering protection against such scams. This page offers timely data about scams reported, steps to take when targeted, and how to avoid these scams. Guidance is made available as scams are identified.
For resources on scam awareness, prevention, and intervention, please select below:
Be Alert for “Distraction Burglars”
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office issues a warning that “distraction burglars” are targeting elderly in the community. Local law enforcement has received information concerning people in the area who are attempting burglaries in which suspects pose as...
EBT Operations Advises Cardholders of Fraudulent Phone Scams
The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Operations is warning the public about phone call scams, text message scams, and smart-phone application (app) scams. If cardholders are contacted about their EBT accounts, they should not provide any personal information; rather...
Beware of New Medicare Card Phone Scam
The California Health Advocates & California Senior Medicare Patrol has received numerous reports about a phone scam pertaining to the new Medicare benefit cards. Scammers tell beneficiaries they need to purchase a temporary Medicare card with the cost ranging...
County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency Issues Scam Alert
The County of Santa Clara Social Services Agencies is warning the public about text messages and phone call scams targeting beneficiaries of CalWORKs, CalFresh, General Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, and Medi-Cal. Two scams to be aware of: Text...
The Equifax Data Breach: What to Do
If you have a credit report, you may be one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies. This means you may begin to receive calls...
FTC Advises of Fraudulent Discount Clubs
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged a group of marketers with debiting more than $40 million from consumers’ bank accounts for membership in three online discount clubs they enrolled consumers in without authorization. As the nation’s consumer protection...
Prevent Fraudulent use of Your Medicare Card
In a Medicare Card Scam, fraudsters contact beneficiaries claiming to represent Medicare, stating that the beneficiary needs a new Medicare card. Fraudsters ask for personal information and may threaten beneficiaries with the loss of Medicare benefits if they don’t...
National Consumers League Warns of Social Media Scams
Facebook is a social media channel used by millions of consumers to keep in touch with family and friends. We share pictures, videos, and even private messages with trusted loved ones. At times, data breaches by scam artists/hackers allow these individuals to log into...
The FTC Never Needs Your Bank Info
A recent scam identified by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that some people have received an e-mail that falsely claims to be from Maureen Ohlhausen, the FTC’s Acting Chairman. The e-mail is a scam to attempting to steal your financial information; the...