Updated: August 12, 2026

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Medicare scams do not slow down between October and December. They peak. The Annual Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7 every year, per Medicare.gov, and fraud rings build entire seasonal call campaigns around it. This page walks through how those calls work, why your Medicare number is worth money on the fraud market, and how to read your own paperwork so a false charge does not slip past.

The rules below come from Medicare.gov, the HHS Office of Inspector General, the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the Senior Medicare Patrol program funded by the Administration for Community Living. Every claim here is sourced. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or medical advice.

If a call is happening right now, or a stranger is at your door asking about a Medicare card, jump to the action block just below. Everything else can wait ten minutes.

Table of contents show

If this is happening to you right now

Stop. Do not read out your Medicare number, your Social Security number, your bank account, or any card number. Do not confirm your address.

Hang up. A real Medicare-related matter will still be there in fifteen minutes. A scam script will not survive a pause.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) yourself. Use that number, not any number the caller gave you. Medicare.gov lists it as the official help line and confirms Medicare will look up your record on request.
If the caller mentioned a specific plan or bill, also call the number printed on your Medicare card or on the plan document already in your file. Never call a number given by the incoming caller.
If you already gave out a Medicare number, call the HHS Office of Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) and file at reportfraud.ftc.gov the same day. Then contact your state Senior Medicare Patrol.
If someone came to your home to pick up a card, deliver a brace, or collect a cheek swab, close the door and call the local police non-emergency line. Note any vehicle, plate, or company name.

Do not feel embarrassed to hang up mid-sentence. Every professional fraud script is engineered to make a polite person feel rude for stopping. Politeness is not required with an unsolicited caller who wants a number off your card.

Why your Medicare number is worth money

A Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, printed on the red-white-and-blue Medicare card, is the master key to a federal payment pipeline. With that number, a corrupt provider or a fraud ring can bill Medicare for services, tests, or equipment you never received. The FBI documents this pattern in its annual Elder Fraud Report published by the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Two facts make the number valuable in 2026. First, Medicare pays claims quickly, so a false claim can turn into a real payout before you or CMS notice. Second, once the number is out, it stays out. You cannot easily change it, unlike a credit card. That is why scam calls are built around one goal: getting you to read the number aloud.

Medicare itself is clear on this point. Its consumer guidance on reporting fraud states that Medicare will never call you uninvited to ask for your Medicare number, bank information, or credit card number in exchange for services, and never sends anyone door-to-door for the same purpose.

When Medicare actually calls, and when it does not

Medicare does not cold-call you to sell a plan. Medicare does not text or email to ask for your card number. Medicare does not send an agent to your porch. Those are the three simplest rules to memorize, and they eliminate the majority of pitches you will hear during Annual Enrollment.

There are narrow exceptions. If you already applied for a specific benefit, a Social Security or Medicare representative may call back to complete that application. If you already asked for a callback through 1-800-MEDICARE, a representative may return the call. If your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan has an ongoing case with you, plan staff may reach out about that case.

Any other unsolicited call claiming to be from Medicare is either a private insurance marketer, which is a different regulated activity, or an outright scam. Marketing calls face strict CMS rules that block cold calling absent a prior request. If the pitch skips those rules, the sales agent has already broken the CMS Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines.

The safest posture during Annual Enrollment is a simple one. Any inbound Medicare-flavored call, text, or email goes through the same filter: hang up, then call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself. If a real plan needs to reach you, they will still be there on the callback.

The open-enrollment pressure playbook

Every fall a fresh wave of scripts hits the phone lines. The exact wording rotates, but the pressure levers repeat year after year. Learn the levers and any new variant becomes obvious in a sentence or two.

Lever one: the fake deadline

“You have to enroll by tonight or you lose your Medicare.” False. The Annual Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, with coverage starting January 1. Original Medicare itself does not require any yearly re-enrollment. If a caller invents an earlier deadline, that alone is proof the pitch is not from Medicare.

Lever two: the new card story

“We are sending you a new Medicare card, we just need to verify your current number.” No. Medicare mailed replacement cards with a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier during the 2018 to 2019 rollout, and free replacements today come by mail after a request through your Medicare online account or through 1-800-MEDICARE. Nobody calls you to “confirm” the number first.

Lever three: the free gift or free test

“Medicare covers a free genetic cancer screen for seniors, we just need your card number to ship the kit.” That is the HHS OIG Genetic Testing Scam, described in an active Fraud Alert on the OIG website. The cheek-swab kit arrives in the mail, the fraud ring bills Medicare for a lab test, and your name is now attached to a suspect claim in the CMS record.

Lever four: the fake official

“This is Officer Smith from the Medicare Fraud Investigation Unit. Your card is being used in another state.” The HHS OIG has published an alert warning that scammers impersonate HHS and OIG officials, including using spoofed 1-800-HHS-TIPS caller ID. No real federal officer calls to demand your number or a payment to “clear” your file.

Lever five: the switch-and-forget pitch

“Sign up for this new zero-premium plan and keep everything you have now, no changes.” Any plan switch during Open Enrollment can quietly change your network, drug coverage, or out-of-pocket ceiling. A pitch that promises everything stays the same is either misleading or an unlicensed marketer collecting your card number for a downstream fraud claim.

Genetic testing, braces, and equipment scams

The HHS OIG maintains a public list of active Consumer Alerts. Several of the largest active schemes target Medicare beneficiaries directly and follow the same template: a free item shipped to your door, a Medicare claim you never authorized, and a paper trail on your name.

Genetic testing scam. A “free” cancer-risk or heart-risk DNA test shipped without a doctor visit. Billed to Medicare, often at thousands of dollars per claim. OIG has issued a standing Fraud Alert.
Nationwide brace scam. Free back, knee, or wrist braces mailed after a phone or television pitch, with Medicare billed for durable medical equipment you did not need or request. OIG Fraud Alert active.
Urinary catheter scam. Large volumes of catheters shipped to beneficiaries who never ordered them, then billed to Medicare. OIG Consumer Alert active.
Cardiovascular testing scam. “Free” heart screens by mail or phone, billed to Medicare, often paired with a genetic panel. OIG Consumer Alert active.
Remote patient monitoring scam. Devices billed to Medicare under continuous monitoring codes without any real physician oversight or need. OIG Consumer Alert active.

The tell is the same in every case. A caller, a booth at a health fair, a mailer, or a social media ad offers an item at no cost. All they need is your Medicare number and sometimes a signed release. The real cost is paid by Medicare, and the false claim can complicate your record for years.

If a package you did not order arrives at your door, do not throw the paperwork away. Save the packing slip, the return address, and any letter enclosed. Report the shipment to 1-800-MEDICARE and to your state Senior Medicare Patrol. The paperwork is what investigators need to trace the supplier.

How to read your MSN and Part D EOB

The Medicare Summary Notice, or MSN, is the quarterly statement mailed to people with Original Medicare. Medicare.gov describes it as a summary of every service, supply, and prescription billed to Medicare on your behalf in the prior three months. It is not a bill. It is your best fraud-detection tool.

People on Medicare Advantage or Part D get a similar document called the Explanation of Benefits, or EOB, from their plan. Medicare drug plans send EOBs each month you fill a prescription. Both documents follow the same read-aloud pattern.

Compare each line to your calendar and health records. Any date of service you cannot match is a red flag. Same for any provider name you do not recognize.
Watch for duplicate charges on the same date. Two identical service codes on the same day are a common billing-fraud pattern.
Watch for equipment you never received. Braces, catheters, glucose monitors, and DNA test kits are the highest-volume fraud line items today.
Watch for “signature on file” claims for a service you did not receive. A provider can bill under that language after a single phone contact you may not remember signing off on.
Circle every questionable line and call the provider first. A billing clerk can correct honest errors quickly. If the provider will not answer or the story does not match, escalate to Medicare and your Senior Medicare Patrol.

Keep your MSNs and EOBs for at least a year. A simple accordion folder next to the mail sorter is enough. Fraud patterns often show up as a low-dollar test in month one, then a much larger equipment claim in month two under the same false identity trail.

The Senior Medicare Patrol: your free local ally

The Senior Medicare Patrol, or SMP, is a federally funded program administered by the Administration for Community Living. Every state and territory has one. Its trained staff and volunteers help beneficiaries prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse, at no cost to you.

SMP volunteers will sit with you and read an MSN line by line if you are unsure about a charge. They also give public talks at senior centers, libraries, and community events on the current scam patterns for the season. Their central website at smpresource.org lists every state office with a phone number and email.

If you are not comfortable calling a federal hotline, the SMP is usually the friendliest first door. The person who answers has heard the exact scam call you are reporting many times before, and they can walk you through the reporting steps at your pace. There is no membership requirement.

Reporting: the four numbers to know

File everywhere that fits. Medicare-specific paths handle the billing side. Consumer paths handle the pattern data used by federal enforcers. Reporting through both lanes improves the odds that the ring loses its next target.

1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). The official Medicare help line, available 24 hours a day. Ask for the fraud unit if you saw a suspect charge on your MSN or EOB.
1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). The HHS Office of Inspector General hotline for reporting Medicare, Medicaid, and other HHS program fraud. Online tips go through tips.oig.hhs.gov.
Your state Senior Medicare Patrol. Located through smpresource.org. Best first stop for help reading a statement or preparing a report.
reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. The FTC Consumer Sentinel feed for scam patterns, and the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center for wire, identity, and online fraud loss. File both.

Also call your state Attorney General’s consumer protection division. Most states run a specific senior fraud unit that can coordinate with local prosecutors when a scam ring is operating in a region. The Adult Protective Services agency in your state is the right call if a vulnerable adult was targeted at home.

After a Medicare-number leak: what to do this week

Once a Medicare number is out, treat it like a leaked account number. The number cannot be reset on demand, but the surrounding defense can be tightened quickly.

Request a Medicare online account at Medicare.gov. Once logged in, you can review claims within a few days of filing, not just quarterly. Early detection shrinks fraud losses.
Report the disclosure to 1-800-MEDICARE and to your Senior Medicare Patrol. Ask that a fraud alert flag be placed on your record so unusual claims trigger a review.
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus if the caller also collected your Social Security number, birth date, or bank details. A credit freeze is free, does not affect existing accounts, and blocks new-account identity fraud.
Change passwords on any online health account the caller could plausibly reach. Turn on two-factor authentication for MyMedicare, your plan portal, your pharmacy, and your bank.
Watch for a follow-up recovery scam. A second caller may claim to be a lawyer or federal agent who can pull the fraud claim back for a fee. The FTC has warned that this second wave targets the same victim list. No real federal agency charges you to help.

Tell one trusted person the same day. Adult children, a longtime friend, or a spouse. Financial fraud thrives on shame and silence. The AARP Fraud Watch Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 also offers free confidential guidance regardless of AARP membership if you want a neutral second voice on the situation.

If the same caller had previously pressured you to move retirement savings into gold, precious metals, or any “safe haven” purchase with the same urgency, treat it as related fraud from the same ring. The OPRS guide on what to do if you were scammed on a gold IRA walks through the parallel recovery playbook on the investment side.

Family conversation guide: raising this without condescension

Adult children often struggle with the tone of this talk. The wrong framing lands as “we think you’re losing your judgment.” The right framing lands as “this is happening to everyone with a Medicare card, and we want a plan.”

Open with a specific news item, not a general warning. “HHS OIG just posted a fraud alert about a genetic testing scheme. Have you seen this?”
Suggest one shared rule for the whole family. “We hang up on any call about Medicare and call 1-800-MEDICARE back ourselves.”
Print the mid-call checklist and post it near the landline. Memory shuts off under pressure. A note on the wall works when memory does not.
Offer to sit down together once a quarter to read the MSN. Frame it as a shared task, not a check on someone’s judgment.
Save your state Senior Medicare Patrol number in every family phone. A local ally is easier to call than a federal hotline for a first-time report.

Respect matters. Retirees are targeted by scripts written and tested by paid teams. Falling for a call is not a failure of judgment. It is what happens when a caring person meets a script engineered to bypass judgment. Treat the topic the way you would treat a home fire drill.

FAQ

Does Medicare ever call to sell me a new plan?

No. Medicare does not cold-call to sell any plan. Private Medicare Advantage and Part D marketers face strict CMS rules that block unsolicited sales calls. Any inbound call selling a plan during Open Enrollment goes to 1-800-MEDICARE for a callback verification.

When is Medicare Open Enrollment?

The Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7 each year, per Medicare.gov, with new coverage effective January 1. A separate Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 for people already in an Advantage plan.

What is the free genetic testing scam?

A caller, mailer, or health-fair booth offers a “free” DNA test for cancer, heart disease, or other risks, requiring only your Medicare number. The kit ships, the ring bills Medicare, and your file now contains a suspect claim. HHS OIG maintains a standing Fraud Alert.

I gave out my Medicare number. What now?

Call 1-800-MEDICARE today. Report the disclosure. Ask that a fraud flag be placed on your record. Then contact your state Senior Medicare Patrol through smpresource.org. Watch your next MSN or EOB carefully for any charge you cannot match to a real visit.

Where does Medicare fraud overlap with investment fraud?

The scripts share DNA. Same manufactured urgency, same fake official, same fast payment channel. If a caller who asked for your Medicare number ever also pushed you toward gold or precious metals, treat it as one ring. The OPRS guide on gold IRA dealers to avoid covers the investment-side red flags.

Can I get replacement Medicare card if my number was misused?

Yes. You can request a free replacement card through your MyMedicare online account or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. In documented fraud cases, Medicare may issue a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier. Ask the representative what your record needs.

Medicare Scams: Open Enrollment Red Flags and Card Fraud