In an effort to protect Medicare beneficiaries' personal information, Social Security numbers will be removed from Medicare cards and replaced with 11-digit Medicare identification numbers.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert following the announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“It is important that all seniors protect themselves from fraud and keep their information safe. A new Medicare card that no longer includes a person's Social Security number is one important way of achieving this goal. Today’s consumer alert provides additional tools to help seniors protect themselves against scam artists,” Attorney General Becerra said.

CMS is expected to begin rolling these new Medicare cards out this month.