Fake Healthcare Enrollment Scams via Phone Calls
How callers impersonating health insurance marketplaces or government healthcare programs enroll victims in worthless plans or steal personal data during open enrollment periods.
Part of: Fake Government Healthcare Enrollment Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Healthcare open enrollment periods create a predictable window of consumer urgency that scammers exploit every year. People who are uninsured or seeking better coverage are actively searching for options, which makes them receptive to an unsolicited call offering help navigating a confusing system. Callers posing as enrollment assistants from a government marketplace or a well-known insurer use this receptiveness to steer victims toward fake plans or to harvest the detailed personal and financial information required for genuine enrollment.
The data collected during a fake enrollment — Social Security number, income details, date of birth, and sometimes banking information for premium payments — is extremely valuable for identity theft and can cause financial damage far beyond any premium paid.
This guide covers the specific ways these calls operate during and outside of open enrollment windows, and how to verify before providing any information.
How this scam works on phone calls
The caller identifies as a healthcare marketplace navigator, insurance broker, or government enrollment specialist. They may reference the current open enrollment deadline and state that the target's current plan is being cancelled or that new subsidies for which they qualify are expiring. The urgency is designed to prevent the target from researching the offer independently.
After establishing some rapport and gathering the target's current coverage situation, the caller requests confirming information: Social Security number, date of birth, income, and sometimes bank account details for 'automatic premium payments'. In some cases a nominal enrollment fee or first premium is collected immediately via card or bank transfer.
The plan described does not exist, or turns out to be a limited-benefit or discount plan that provides minimal actual coverage. Identity information is used for fraud. Victims typically discover the scam when they try to use their supposed coverage or when they find fraudulent accounts opened in their name.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited call about healthcare coverage, especially around open enrollment periods
- Caller requests your Social Security number early in the conversation
- Offer of unusually low premiums for comprehensive coverage
- Pressure to enroll before the end of the call or lose the offer
- Request for bank account details for automatic premium payment before you have reviewed any documentation
- Caller cannot provide a written plan summary or a verifiable insurer name
How to protect yourself
- Use only the official healthcare marketplace website (healthcare.gov in the US) or your country's official enrollment portal
- Never provide your Social Security number to an inbound caller — initiate contact yourself on verified channels
- Request a written plan summary and verify the insurer's license with your state insurance commissioner
- Compare any offered plan against options on the official marketplace before providing any information
- If you have already enrolled via a suspicious call, verify your enrollment through the official portal
How to report it
- Report fake insurance calls to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- File a complaint with your state insurance commissioner
- Report to the healthcare marketplace fraud hotline if the caller impersonated an official marketplace
- If personal data was shared, place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus
Frequently asked questions
Would a real healthcare marketplace call me unsolicited?
Official healthcare marketplaces do not typically make unsolicited enrollment calls. Legitimate outreach during open enrollment usually takes the form of official mail or notifications within your existing account. Treat unsolicited enrollment calls with significant caution.
How can I verify whether a plan is real before sharing my Social Security number?
Go to the official marketplace website yourself, log in to your account, and look up the plan details independently. You can also call your state insurance commissioner to verify whether a plan and insurer are licensed.