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Watch the new 'Avengers: Infinity War' trailer
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The roughly two-minute trailer featured villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) threatening the batch of Marvel heroes. - photo by Herb Scribner
Are you ready for the Infinity War to start?

Marvel Studios dropped a new trailer for Avengers: Infinity War on Friday morning.

Watch the trailer here.

The two-minute trailer features villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) threatening the batch of Marvel heroes including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), among many, many others (including, yes, Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland) in his quest to retrieve the Infinity Stones, which could destroy the entire universe.

And it looks like many of the Avengers are in grave danger.

Infinity War hits theaters on April 27 a week earlier than initially anticipated. The films first trailer dropped in November of last year. It's the third Avengers film, but will serve as the beginning of the end to whats been a 10-year journey of Marvel films, which kicked off with Iron Man back in 2008.

The first Avengers, released in 2012, sold more than $1.5 billion in the worldwide box office. In total, all Marvel films have sold more than $5.8 billion.

Fans need not worry its not the end of the series quite yet. An untitled fourth Avengers film (which was previously announced as Infinity War Part 2) will arrive in April 2019. However, the fourth Avengers film may not be a direct sequel.

Our approach has always been we look at the process, as with (writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), it's simply the same thing in the way that The Winter Soldier relates to Civil War, and the way that Civil War relates to Infinity War, director Joe Russo told Screen Rant. These two movies will also relate. There's a narrative thread that is connecting these films, but at the same time, there's an independence in terms of what the experience is or where the story goes.
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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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