I received a call saying that I was eligible for a Covid 19 vaccine by Medicare, but I've been told that Medicare does not call? Scam?

It is a scam. Medicare and Medicaid ONLY contacts anyone via Snail Mail. PERIOD.

Snail Mail is the United States Postal Service mails which are the letters and junk mail that you get inside your outside mailbox. Not any emails on your computer or any kind of phone calls.

Your Private Medical Insurance Company, which would NOT be Medicare or Medicaid may contact you via email or a phone call, but you will know that they are who they are, since they will have your PCP (Primary Care Physician) listed as requesting you to call them just make an appointment.

I use many physicians at the UHealth, which is directly associated with the University of Miami Medical System, and I received an email from them to log on to my personal data access information Chart and check to see if vaccines are available, and what number to call if they are available to JUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. If no appointments or vaccines are available, I must click on a link to check. Daily. PERIOD.

BEWARE!!!!

My phone rings constantly all day long and even at night. I have a hard and fast rule - I do not want my time and energy wasted. So, if there is NO identifying information as to who is calling and I don't know the name, I DO NOT ANSWER.
One time I accidentally did answer (obviously a scammer so I decided to have some fun). He wanted all kinds of personal information, etc. and I played along with it. Told him I had a bad memory and did not take care of my personal affairs and papers. However, he should give me his name, number, etc. and I would have my son or daughter call and give it to him. Told him I was so proud of them. Son was a federal district attorney and daughter was a criminal attorney. Wow, you never heard a phone slam down on the other end faster than that phone call.

Sometimes it's fun to turn their game around and taunt them.   A favorite member who no longer posts used to give the phone to her mother, who liked to drill and question the scammers on unrelated issues, and eventually they would give up.

If you want to do something like this, you could make up some crazy responses, such as:

You're a pharmacist (or chemist, or something related to the type of pros who research, design and create the vaccines), that you have your own homemade vaccine but would glad to sell it to them, (for an outrageous price), such as a few thousand dollars per dose.   Follow with asking them about THEIR credit standing, how they plan to pay, how many doses they want, etc.   You'll hear a click fairly soon.

You're a naturalist, don't allow anything foreign to enter your body, and just came back from a trip to an ocean and forest and are ready to make your own organic vaccine.  Again, hit on them to buy some.   You can also ask them for things like their blood type, age, weight, sex, medical history, etc.   Again, that click will come fairly soon.

You've already had Covid 19, and are manufacturing your own antibodies to sell.  Again, ask them how many doses they want.

I love turning the issues around and putting these jerks on the spot.

Sounds like a scammer. You may get a phone call or email - depending on your state and their COVID administration procedures. Please check your state or region's information about COVID vaccinations.

Here providers are phoning people to make sure they know they are eligible. But, I sure would not give them any personal information.

Are you sure they said "this is Medicare calling."? If so, must be a scam of some sort.

Medicare never calls anyone who did not initiate the request. This is likely a scam, so hang up and block that phone number. If not a scam it is called Medicare.gov or My Medicare. Call your Medicare provider directly to confirm.

Me thinks your instincts are right on. IN general for EVERYone I'd say it's best to not agree to anything you personally are not pursuing...be it cable service, utilities, and now apparently THIS too. NEVER EVER agree to ANYthing that would give a stranger access to your home. And don't feel badly...just a week ago a former coworker who moved out of state and is also on FB as am I, was contacting me about a deal that seemed too good to be true....BUT she was a mature, seasoned professional, a good person who would not succumb to a scam herself, and so even as one of the same,more or less, i succumbed...HOWEVER, when asked for my monthly income and my email address, I balked and I called our local police dept...non emergency number and the first thing the dispatcher asked, was "are you sure you're talking to HER?" (in messsenger). I didn't have her phone number, but did email and as I suspected....she'd been hacked....in the scam I almost succumbed to, someone (a "god-fearing" federal agent LOL) was going to have Fedex deliver a huge sum of cash within hours (i.e. around midnight)...and I would NEVER open my door at that hour for anyone, without the police being nearby or with me. The plot you describe is praying on people's fears of the virus, difficulty in getting out, and them gaining an easy way into your home, distracting you while someone else goes through the house. NO WAY. Good for you for sensing something amiss.

Scam. They are really trying to sell genetic testing - not covid. The genetic testing call has been going on for a long time. More than likely, you would be asked for enough personal information to steal your ID. There's other scams out there too - to get you leg/knee braces, diabetes supplies, etc. Not sure if they are out to get personal info or just to bill medicare for something your doctor didn't order. Best to just say, I don't buy anything over the phone that I didn't initiate the call.

Medicare does not call you, they send letters. You can sign up for covid vaccine when they have it available for people of your age/underlying health. Haven't heard of anyone calling to offer it - there's no need for that yet. You can watch for emails from hospitals or medical centers you may have gone to in the past couple of years. They are reaching out to patients within certain groups to get names on waiting lists.

I will say this - don't fight with the scammers too much. I told them repeatedly to remove my number. It only resulted in more calls from same message/robo during the day, earlier in the morning and later at night. Hang up

Imho, you are correct in assessing the fact that this phone call (especially the hang up) was no doubt a scam. I am in the que with my county and I am in the "1c category." Presently the county is still in "1a."

Yes, it's a scam. If you want information on the Covid vaccine, it is best to contact your county or state health department.

Our oldest son was in the Secret Service, and one of their main directives is investigating financial crimes. People would call up saying they had received communication stating that they had won the Canadian Lottery and all they had to do to collect the prize was to send in some money. (No legit contest, sweeps, or lottery requires payment to collect a prize you've won.) Our son would ask them if they had entered the Canadian Lottery, and they would say no. Then he would ask them what made them think they had won the Canadian Lottery.

There was nothing he could do for them, because invariably these scams were being perpetrated by people in other countries. They just had to consider the lost money a painful lesson about scams.

Scam

Scam. You can block that phone number on your phone.

Even if the number is blocked it won’t matter one iota!

I have tons of numbers blocked on my phone.

As soon as they know that they have a live number they will keep calling.

It’s recommended to not answer numbers that we don’t know. If it is important, they will leave a voicemail.

These scammers always call back with a new number. Do not answer!

Put your number on here, if you haven't already. It's not perfect, but I've found it helps.

https://www.donotcall.gov/register.html

Scam. They were looking to either enter your home, get money, or even worse your personal information. Rule of thumb, if you didn't contact them, tell them that you don't do business over the phone. I had one of the wonderful IRS scam calls looking for my daughter, it went on for days 2 or 3 times all hours. Knowing it was a scam I told them she no longer lived in my home, they then asked me if I would pay for her otherwise she would be arrested. I gave them the address of a local cemetery and told them to go dig her up and arrest her then. She was and still is healthy and above ground but it stopped that call.

Know what I think? These scammers are professional programmers who often change their phone and text numbers to make them impossible for police to trace. If you did not initiate the contact, leave the caller go to voicemail, block those numbers then delete them.

Scam scam scam

Definately s scam!