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Heres the first trailer for the new mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
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The new game, which drops in spring 2018, will allow gamers to build their own characters and attend Hogwarts as a student. - photo by Herb Scribner
We have our first trailer for the upcoming mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

The new game, which drops sometime in spring, will allow gamers to build their own characters and attend Hogwarts as students. Gamers will be sorted into their own homes, meet professors, learn spells and build friendships, essentially playing out their own version of the Harry Potter series.

Watch the trailer here.

The game will be available on the Google Play and Apple iOS app stores. Google Play gamers can visit the store now and preregister for the game.

Mobile game studio Jam City and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will collaborate on the new game under the new label Portkey Games.

As Pottermore pointed out, the game does well bringing in old favorites, such as Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore and Bill Weasley.

Chris DeWolfe, co-founder of Jam City, expressed excitement for the new game.

We are grateful to the fans who have made 'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery' one of the most anticipated mobile games of 2018, he said. Were thrilled to open Google preregistration and share a new sneak peek at how this game will let fans create their own character and enter Hogwarts as a student for the first time.

Later this year, Niantic Labs, the company behind the Pokemon Go mobile game, will release a Harry Potter-themed mobile game called Harry Potter: Wizards United.

The game, much like Pokemon Go, will let gamers interact with the real world using augmented reality, according to the Deseret News.

I think the Harry Potter game is a huge deal, said Piers Harding-Rolls of IHS Markit consultancy to the BBC. If you look at the different major franchises out there, I don't think there are many that could do Pokemon Go justice as a follow-up.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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