The Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland is alerting Northeast Ohio residents of a new scam targeting Medicare, according to a news release. Open enrollment for Medicare began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. Unfortunately, scammers see this open enrollment period as a chance to trick people out of money and personal information, the release said. BBB Scam Tracker frequently receives reports of scam calls and texts pretending to be from Medicare, according to the release. Consumers report receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to be “health care benefits advocates” working with health care providers or insurance providers, the release said. Scammers often use enticing claims of offering a better, cheaper program or threats of discontinued services. Once consumers provide their personal information, it opens them up to identity theft and future fraud, according to the release. A woman from Westlake told BBB about her experience with a health care scammer, the release said. She reportedly received a phone call from a man who sounded foreign, stated he was with Medicare, and provided her Social Security number and home address as proof. The woman stated he did have her correct Social Security number, but provided the incorrect address. The consumer told BBB the scammer said she needed additional Medicare coverage. The woman said she immediately knew it was a scam and hung up on the scammer. She called the number back and a recording said, “Welcome to Health Guard. Please hang on for our next representative.” The woman hung up and reported the scam to BBB. Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland has the following tips to help prevent open enrollment scams. • Be wary of anyone who contacts you unsolicited. People representing Medicare and other healthcare plans won’t contact you by phone, email or in person unless you are already enrolled. Be especially cautious of threatening calls that require quick action or immediate payment. • Guard your personal information. Never provide your Medicare identification number, Social Security number, health plan info, credit card numbers or banking information to anyone you don’t know. • Utilize official websites. You can enroll or re-enroll in Medicare at Medicare.gov or in a marketplace health plan at Healthcare.gov. If you have private insurance, utilize the websites on the back of your insurance card. • Decline promotional gifts in exchange for personal information. Be wary when an industry professional offers gifts, health screenings or medical equipment in exchange for providing personally identifiable information (PIP) such as your Medicare ID or Social Security number. If you are unsure whether a call or offer is from Medicare or you gave your personal information to someone claiming to be with Medicare, call 800-MEDICARE to report it. If you suspect fraud when signing up for Affordable Care Act coverage, go to HealthCare.gov or call the Health Insurance Marketplace call center at 800-318-2596. For more tips from BBB on avoiding health care scams, check BBB.org. If you’ve been the victim of a scam, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker. Sharing your experience can help others avoid falling victim to similar scams, the release said.