The state insurance department hopes to get ahead of scammers who might try to cheat Medicare recipients out of their doughnut hole checks.

Some of the 250-dollar checks are in the mail for those who have fallen into the “doughnut hole,” the gap in Medicare Part D coverage. Con men and women are sniffing around for a quick score.

Part D pays 75 percent of the drug costs for Part D enrollees until the total cost goes past 28-hundred-30 dollars. Those enrollees then have to pay all the costs will help total reaches about 64-hundred dollars before benefits kick in again.

The checks will help pay the doughnut hole bills…unless a recipient falls for a scamm.

Insurance department spokesman Travis Ford hopes early warnings save some recipients a lot of trouble. Simple advice–you do not have to give anybody any personal information, especially any bank information, to get your check. It will come automatically. If somebody calls offering to help, just hang up. Report the contact to the insurance department or the Attorney General, especially if you get a phone number.

Bob Priddy talks to Travis Ford 4:41 mp3