The Gorham Police Department issued a warning to the community recently after fielding numerous complaints from residents who had appeared to receive phone calls from Medicare. The phone number displayed on the caller ID is the actual Medicare phone number. Though the phone number was accurate, the person on the other end was not an employee of Medicare.

Known as “pretexting,” scammers use legitimate phone numbers and pretend to be the real company to gather information about a person. They clone the actual phone number of the business so when people call back, they actually reach the intended business, in this case Medicare.

The Gorham Police are reminding residents of the following tips:

Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask for personal information.

Scammers will try to get personal information including your Medicare number.

If someone asks for your information, money, or threatens to cancel your benefits, hang up and call Medicare directly at 1-800-633-4227.