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Beekybird Asked December 2013

My Mom's Medicare card was stolen from her room at her memory care facility. What do I do now?

My 94 yr old mom is well into later stages of dementia, I am POA, and I have done a good job for years of caring for and protecting her. I didn't realize her Soc Sec # is on her Medicare card. Her ID may have been stolen. How could I miss this! I took a copy of this card for my purse and thought she should keep the original, and her photo ID. That card is old, it looks like a drivers license but she's never driven. I stopped leaving any money in her wallet (altho she nags constantly she needs money "just in case") because at the beginning small amts of cash were disappearing. If a thief has her soc sec number and photo ID, can her accounts be compromised? What steps should I take? There was nothing in her purse other than those two pieces of ID.

sunflo2 Dec 2013
Notify SS and Medicare immediately and ask them to alert you with any fraud. Same goes for banking, investments, anywhere where she might have assets linked to ssn. SS office may advise you to get a new number for her. Ask them what they recommend.

In the meantime have bank transfer funds to you so you can pay her bills as DPOA. Have everything else temporarily frozen or set up new accts in your name.

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