Next month, seniors will again be able to enroll in government-subsidized prescription drug insurance, but many will also have to contend with a flurry of dubious phone calls, letters and e-mails trying to bilk them out of their money or personal information.

To cut down on fraud, a group of federal officials is touring New England this week, warning seniors about common scams and asking them to report suspicious solicitors. In Concord yesterday, a few dozen people gathered at Horseshoe Pond Place to listen, pick up goodie bags stuffed with brochures and share their own experiences with possible fraud.

About 10 percent of the $250 billion federal Medicare and Medicaid budget is lost to fraud annually. Over the past few years, the government has used gatherings like the one held yesterday to educate seniors and has managed to recoup some of the lost money.

"On the front lines of the fight against Medicare fraud is each and everyone of you," said Brian Golden, regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "We get an awful lot of information from you that allows us to take action against wrongdoers."

Scams can be as simple as a telemarketer persuading someone to share credit card information or as sneaky as someone digging through the trash for a Social Security number. Acting state Health and Human Services Director Nick Toumpas suspects such incidents will become more common as the population ages.

As a result, the state is increasing its efforts to prosecute people who exploit elders and to teach seniors how to avoid fraud in the first place.

"It's important to be educated and know to whom to turn, what information to disclose and what information not to disclose," he said. "You need to be ever-vigilant."

Many of the seniors who attended yesterday's event were all too familiar with the subject at hand. Several shared stories of door-to-door salesmen fishing for Social Security numbers and e-mails requesting credit card information in exchange for miracle cures.

Eileen LaPierre's brush with fraud involved a walker she never ordered nor received.

Still, the hospital had billed Medicare for the equipment. LaPierre noticed the mistake and reported it.

"You just have to be your own advocate," she said.

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By MEG HECKMAN

Monitor staff