Medicare Scam Calls: How to Spot Them and What to Do (2026)

Got a call from “Medicare,” a “Medicare advisor” or an “enrollment center” asking you to confirm your Medicare Number? Hang up. Medicare says it will never call you uninvited to ask for personal or private information (Medicare.gov). Here’s how to spot Medicare scam calls, especially around Open Enrollment, what to do if you already shared your number, and how to report and cut down on these calls.

Does Medicare call you?

Not out of the blue. “Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home,” says Medicare.gov. According to the official Medicare & You 2027 handbook, Medicare or your plan will only call in limited situations:

• your plan, if you’re already a member, or the agent who helped you join;
• a 1-800-MEDICARE representative, if you left a message or were told someone would call you back;
• someone following up on a fraud report you filed.

Plans and agents have limits too. They can’t call you unless you’re already a member or you’ve given them permission, and they can’t ask for bank account or credit card numbers by phone unless it’s needed to process an enrollment. Plans don’t need your personal information to give a quote (Medicare.gov).

Don’t trust caller ID. It might show Medicare’s name or phone number, but caller ID can be faked (FTC).

Medicare scam calls: what the caller says vs. the truth

What the caller says	The truth	Source
“You’re getting a new plastic card with a chip. Just confirm your Medicare Number.”	Real Medicare cards are free and mailed automatically. The paper card was last updated in 2018, and there’s no plan to update it again.	FTC, SMP
“Hi, I’m a Medicare advisor calling on a recorded line.”	Medicare doesn’t cold-call you to ask for personal information. A caller who asks for your Medicare or Social Security number is most likely a scammer.	FCC
“You qualify for a free back brace, genetic test, COVID-19 test kit or catheters. Medicare pays.”	Hang up on offers of free braces or equipment billed to Medicare, and be wary of “free” genetic tests that ask for your Medicare number. Medicare won’t call to offer COVID-19 products.	HHS-OIG, HHS-OIG, HHS-OIG, HHS-OIG
“Renew your plan or switch now, or you won’t have coverage next year.”	If your plan still meets your needs and is still offered, you don’t need to do anything. A plan that’s leaving Medicare sends you a notice in October.	CMS, Medicare.gov
“Confirm your details or your benefits will be canceled.”	If someone threatens to cancel your health benefits, Medicare says to hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE.	Medicare.gov
“Give me your card or bank number to enroll you.”	Plans can’t ask you for payment over the phone. The plan must send you a bill.	Medicare.gov

Why they want your Medicare Number

With your number, dishonest companies can bill Medicare for things you never got. That’s medical identity theft, and it can affect the care and benefits you can get later (FTC). Unneeded braces billed in your name could lead Medicare to deny one you need later (HHS-OIG). If Medicare denies a genetic test claim, you could owe the entire cost (HHS-OIG).

In a case announced in June 2025, prosecutors alleged that Medicare numbers were obtained “through theft and deceptive marketing,” and that the defendants used AI to fake recordings of beneficiaries agreeing to receive products (CMS). More on AI voice scams.

New Medicare card in 2026: is it real?

It can be. In March and April 2026, some people with Medicare got new cards with new numbers, mailed with a letter explaining why (SMP). Real Medicare cards are free and mailed to you automatically (FTC).

What isn’t real: a caller who needs your number “to see if you have received your new one.” That’s on the SMP’s list of card scams (SMP). If you aren’t sure a letter or card is from Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask (SMP).

Medicare Open Enrollment scams in 2026

Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7. Changes take effect January 1, and the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7 (Medicare.gov). This fall’s window sets your coverage for 2027 (Medicare). “Every year, scammers get more active around Medicare Open Enrollment Period,” the FTC warns.

What’s normal this time of year:

• Letters from your plan. Your plan sends a Plan Annual Notice of Change in September with next year’s changes (Medicare.gov). If it’s leaving Medicare, it sends a Plan Non-Renewal Notice in October (Medicare.gov).
• Lots of marketing mail. Medicare.gov, the “Medicare & You” handbook and 1-800-MEDICARE are your official sources of unbiased Medicare information (Medicare).

Red flags: an agent who calls without your permission, offers cash or gifts worth more than $15 to join, or asks you to pay over the phone (Medicare.gov). Don’t join a plan over the phone unless you called and asked for help (Medicare.gov).

To compare plans safely:

• Use the official Plan Finder at Medicare.gov/plan-compare to compare plans side by side and estimate your out-of-pocket costs (Medicare).
• Get free, unbiased one-on-one counseling from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIPs are federally funded, and there’s no cost to use them (SHIP). Find yours at shiphelp.org or call 1-877-839-2675.

In September 2026, CMS said it was barring 11 medical supply companies, suspected of more than $3.4 billion in fraudulent billing in 2025 and 2026, from Medicare Advantage and drug plan payments. One was suspected of a telemarketing scheme, and several beneficiaries said they never got the braces it billed for (CMS).

How to check if a Medicare call is real

1. Hang up. Don’t confirm your name or any other personal information (HHS-OIG).
2. Call a number you look up yourself. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048) answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays (Medicare.gov). You can usually find your plan’s contact information on your plan membership card, or 1-800-MEDICARE can give it to you (Medicare.gov).
3. Get a second opinion. The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) suggests calling your local SMP if someone asks for your Medicare Number (SMP).

Gave a scammer your Medicare Number? Do this now

1. Call 1-800-MEDICARE. Say someone may be using your number, and ask about a free replacement card (Medicare & You 2027). CMS says people with Medicare can ask to change their Medicare Number, for example if it’s been compromised (CMS). After a 2025 incident involving Medicare.gov accounts, CMS mailed affected people new cards with new numbers (CMS, June 2025).
2. Check your claims now, then keep checking. In your Medicare.gov account, Original Medicare claims are generally available within 24 hours after processing (Medicare & You 2027). In a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, check the plan’s Explanation of Benefits statements (Medicare.gov). Your Medicare Summary Notice isn’t a bill; it comes every 6 months if you got services (Medicare.gov). Look for anything you didn’t get. Ask the provider about a questionable charge first; if that doesn’t fix it, call 1-800-MEDICARE or your SMP (HHS-OIG).
3. Refuse what you didn’t order. If equipment or a test kit arrives that your doctor didn’t order, refuse it or return it to the sender, and note the sender’s name and the date (HHS-OIG, HHS-OIG).
4. Watch for medical identity theft. Warning signs include a statement for care you didn’t get, a debt collector calling about medical debt you don’t owe, or a notice that you’ve reached your benefit limit (FTC). If someone used your information, tell your provider or plan and report it at IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan (FTC).
5. Switched to a plan you didn’t choose? Call 1-800-MEDICARE (Medicare). If misleading information led you to the wrong plan, representatives can help you with options for making changes throughout the year (Medicare.gov).

If you also gave other information or paid

• Social Security number: I gave a scammer my Social Security number and how to freeze your credit.
• Bank account number: I gave a scammer my bank account number.
• Credit or debit card: I gave a scammer my credit card number.
• Name, address or birth date: what a scammer can do with your personal information.
• Money: it’s “always worth asking” the company you used to pay whether you can get it back (FTC). Paid with gift cards? See gift card scams.

The data breach checklist lists official steps for each type of exposed information.

How to stop Medicare scam calls

• Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry. It’s free at DoNotCall.gov or 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), calling from the phone you want to register. Sales calls can take up to 31 days to stop. It stops sales calls from companies that follow the law, not scammers. If a caller offers to put you on it, say no (FTC).
• Use call blocking. Ask your phone company about call-blocking and labeling tools, look into apps, and check your phone’s settings for blocking specific numbers (FCC). Blocking might also stop some calls you want (FTC).
• Don’t press buttons on robocalls. Pressing a number could lead to more calls. Just hang up (FTC).
• Tell telemarketers to stop. They must comply immediately with a do-not-call request you make during a call. Many states also keep their own do-not-call lists; ask your state’s public service commission or consumer protection office (FCC).

How to report a Medicare scam call

Report it even if you didn’t share anything. Note the number that called, any callback number, and the date and time (FTC).

1. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048). The FTC says to report Medicare impersonators here first (FTC). Also report plans or agents that ask for your personal information by phone or email, call to enroll you, visit unexpectedly or use false information (Medicare & You 2027).
2. HHS Office of Inspector General hotline: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), TTY 1-800-377-4950, or online (HHS-OIG).
3. Your local SMP: call 1-877-808-2468 or pick your state at smpresource.org. SMPs help you report fraud and refer complaints to the agency that can act. Don’t put your Medicare or Social Security number in their online form (SMP).
4. I-MEDIC, if you have a Medicare Advantage or drug plan: 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379) (Medicare.gov).
5. FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. No money lost? You can also report the call at DoNotCall.gov (FTC).
6. FCC: file an FCC complaint about illegal robocalls, under “unwanted calls” (FCC).

What happens next. HHS-OIG can’t contact every complainant, and it “rarely intervenes in personal or civil grievances,” such as seeking a refund from a provider (HHS-OIG). Medicare says investigations take time, so you may not hear about an outcome right away (Medicare & You 2027). The report-a-scam tool and the scam recovery checklist help you keep track.

Watch for the follow-up scam

• A second “Medicare” call. Someone may really call to follow up on a fraud report (Medicare.gov). You can still hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE to check (FTC).
• Recovery offers. Anyone who wants a fee to get your money back is a scammer. “Government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund” (FTC).
• “Did you get your new card?” Calls asking for your number to check on a new card are a known scam. If you aren’t sure mail is from Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask (SMP, SMP).
• Other impostors. See fake bank calls and jury duty or warrant calls.

What varies

• Your coverage. Original Medicare claims appear on Medicare Summary Notices and in your Medicare.gov account. Medicare Advantage and drug plans send their own statements, and I-MEDIC takes fraud reports about them (Medicare.gov).
• Medigap. If you drop Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) to join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may not be able to get the same policy back later, depending on your state’s rules and your situation (Medicare). Don’t let a caller rush that choice.
• Railroad Retirement Board benefits. For a replacement card, call the RRB at 1-877-772-5772 (TTY 1-312-751-4701) (Medicare.gov).