Medicare is a wonderful plan, helping seniors shoulder health care costs at a time of life when things start wearing out and falling apart.

Life-extending procedures, such as knee and hip replacements, were out of the financial reach of most Americans before Medicare was enacted in 1965. Medicare provides every user with a unique account number that allows the government to process payments for 66 million people, which is nearly 20% of the U.S. population. For as huge as it is, Medicare works well for most older adults.

Medicare spending is now around $950 billion, and whenever you are talking about that kind of big number, you can be sure scammers are figuring out how to tap into it. Medicare fraud is a substantial problem, and it’s estimated that up to $100 billion per year is now lost through fraud and abuse.

A good deal of fraud is committed by crooks working in the medical industry, including double-billing, charging for services never performed and a variety of other schemes.

The Justice Department recently prosecuted two Florida health care executives for scamming Medicare out of $34 million for unnecessary medical equipment, such as back, shoulder and ankle braces.

Medicare fraud can get very personal if someone uses your account number to bill the system in your name. Check your Medicare statement carefully every time it arrives to ensure each charge is valid. I have personally reported Medicare fraud twice in the 18 months after seeing charges on my statement from unknown health care providers in other parts of the country.

If you think items on your Medicare statement look fishy, take the time to call the Medicare fraud center at 1-800-633-4227. Depending on the type and scope of fraud involved, Medicare may offer to change your account number to protect you from future false billings and charges. If you get a new card, it will arrive in the mail a few weeks after you reported fraud. Destroy your old card and make sure to share your new number with health care providers on your next visit.

Current Medicare scams include calls, texts or emails claiming:

• “You are getting a new, plastic Medicare card.” This is a lie. The cards are all printed on paper. There is no such thing as a plastic Medicare card.

• “Medicare is switching to a card with a microchip in it.” This is a lie. No cards are coming with chips. Hang up.

• “It’s a new year so you need a new card.” Not true. Your card does not expire.

• “We need your Medicare number to make sure you received a new card.” This is a lie and just an attempt to steal your current account number.

• We are calling to make sure you have the new black and white Medicare card.” Another falsehood. Every Medicare card is printed on paper with a blue banner on the top, a white middle and a red banner at the bottom.

• “We need to verify your Medicare number to confirm you are using the correct Medicare card.” This kind of call is a scam.

Nobody ever said getting older was going to be a piece of cake. Do what you can to stay healthy and try to squeeze in at least a 30-minute walk a day, which may be a challenge when the snow is blowing.

We all know the Valley is a great place to live most of the year, and the next two cold months just come with the territory. Look at the upside — we get a little snow, but don’t have to worry about tsunamis, hurricanes or volcanic eruptions.

Take care, stay safe, and avoid all the pesky scammers who are up day-and-night trying to separate us from our savings.

Dave Long of Poland, a Youngstown State University graduate, is a retired public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection who later worked as an Elder Scam Prevention Outreach specialist in Rochester, N.Y., before moving back to the Mahoning Valley.