Medicare Impersonation Scams
Scammers impersonate Medicare with fake 'new card' calls, benefit-cancellation threats, and bogus enrollment offers to steal Medicare and Social Security numbers. The real Medicare will never call to ask for your number or demand a fee to keep your benefits.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Medicare is the US government health insurance program for people aged 65 and over and certain younger people with disabilities, which makes its beneficiaries a heavily targeted group. Scammers pose as Medicare representatives by phone, text, email, and even door-to-door, exploiting the fact that losing health coverage is a frightening prospect and that many beneficiaries expect occasional official contact about their plan.
Common versions include calls claiming you must 'activate' or pay for a new Medicare card, threats that your benefits will be cancelled unless you confirm your Medicare or Social Security number, and aggressive 'open enrollment' pitches pushing you into plans that do not exist or that you never agreed to. Some scammers offer free medical equipment, genetic tests, or back braces 'covered by Medicare' purely to harvest your number, which is then used for identity theft and fraudulent billing.
Medicare itself is the victim of this impersonation. The single most important rule: Medicare will not call you uninvited and ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details. Knowing that one fact defeats most of these scams.
How scammers impersonate it
- Calling and claiming your new Medicare card needs to be 'activated' or replaced for a fee
- Threatening that your Medicare benefits will be cancelled unless you confirm your Medicare or Social Security number
- Posing as plan representatives during open enrollment and pushing you to switch to a fake or unsuitable plan
- Offering 'free' medical equipment, genetic testing kits, or health screenings covered by Medicare in exchange for your number
- Spoofing official-looking caller IDs, letters, and websites with Medicare-style branding
- Claiming to be from 'Medicare's fraud department' investigating suspicious charges on your account
What the real organisation never does
- Call you uninvited and ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details
- Charge a fee to issue, replace, or activate a Medicare card
- Threaten to cancel your benefits unless you verify information over the phone
- Visit your home uninvited to sell or enroll you in a plan
- Ask for payment via gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
Common red flags
- Any unsolicited call, text, or visit claiming to be from Medicare
- A request for your Medicare number or Social Security number to 'verify your identity'
- Claims that you must pay for a new or upgraded Medicare card
- Pressure to enroll in or switch plans immediately, before you can research or ask family
- Offers of free equipment, tests, or services in exchange for your Medicare number
- Threats that your benefits will be suspended or cancelled unless you act right now
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Call: 'This is Medicare. Your new card has been issued but requires activation — please confirm your Medicare number and Social Security number to avoid losing coverage.'
Call: 'Open enrollment ends today. We can switch you to a better plan right now, but we need your Medicare number and bank details to lock it in.'
Text: 'Medicare Alert: Suspicious activity on your account. Verify your details at [fake link] or your benefits will be suspended.'
Call: 'You qualify for a free back brace fully covered by Medicare — I just need your Medicare number to ship it.'
How to verify
- Hang up and call Medicare directly at the official number listed on medicare.gov or on the back of your Medicare card
- Remember that Medicare does not call beneficiaries uninvited — genuine contact almost always comes by mail first
- Check any plan or enrollment offer through the official Medicare Plan Finder on medicare.gov, or with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
- Never confirm or 'verify' your Medicare number to an inbound caller — a real representative you call yourself will already have your records
- Review your Medicare Summary Notices regularly for services or equipment you never received
What to do if you're targeted
- Hang up — do not give out your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details
- If you already shared your Medicare number, contact Medicare through medicare.gov or its official phone line to report it and watch for fraudulent billing
- Report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Check your Medicare Summary Notices and dispute any charges for services or equipment you did not receive
- Warn family members or caregivers, especially if the person targeted may be contacted again
Frequently asked questions
Medicare called saying I need to pay for my new card — is that real?
No. Medicare cards are issued free of charge, and Medicare does not call beneficiaries to 'activate' cards or collect card fees. Any call demanding payment or personal details to receive or keep a Medicare card is a scam. Hang up and call Medicare's official number if you are unsure.
How do scammers use a stolen Medicare number?
A Medicare number can be used to bill Medicare fraudulently for equipment, tests, and services you never received, and it is often paired with your Social Security number for broader identity theft. That is why scammers invent so many pretexts — card activation, free equipment, benefit verification — just to get you to read the number out.
I get legitimate calls from my Medicare Advantage plan — how do I tell the difference?
A plan you are already enrolled in may contact you, but it will not ask you to read out your full Medicare or Social Security number to prove who you are, and it will not threaten to cancel your benefits on the spot. If in doubt, hang up and call the number printed on your plan membership card or on medicare.gov.