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The Columbia Police Department has received several phone calls in reference to a scam targeting senior citizens. The scam involves the senior citizen receiving a phone call from a person saying they are with Medicare or the Social Security Administration. The caller states they are trying to send out new cards and need their social security number, date of birth and bank routing numbers to get the new card issued for the senior citizen.

Here are some safety tips:

1.) Never send money or give out personal information such as credit card numbers and expiration dates, bank account numbers, dates of birth, or social security numbers to unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
2.) If you call the number back that called you to verify the information and a recording picks up not stating the name of the company, it's a scam.
3.) Get caller ID (only answer calls from phone numbers that you recognize). You can also use an answering machine or voicemail (they usually will not leave a message)
4.) Hang up the phone immediately if the caller asks for personal information.
5.) If something doesn’t seem right, it’s not right.

If you have information about a fraud, report it to a law enforcement agency.