How it Works

Imposters contact you claiming to be from Medicare to try to get you to divulge your Social Security number, Medicare number, or financial information so they can steal your money or commit identity theft. The fake scenarios the scammers use include telling you they need to issue you a new or updated card, send you “free” medical equipment (for which you have to pay a shipping 
fee), issue you a refund via direct deposit or threatening to cancel your Medicare coverage unless you provide personal information. 

What you should know

  • Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.
  • Medicare won’t call or text you to ask for money. 
  • Even if your caller ID says “Medicare,” it might still be a scammer using “spoofing software to fake the caller ID information.
  • Never provide personal information to an unsolicited caller claiming to be with Medicare. Instead, hang up and call the customer service number on the back of your Medicare card or dial 1-800-MEDICARE.
  • Never join a Medicare health or drug plan over the phone unless you initiated the call to Medicare. 
  • Don’t click links or open attachments in emails or text messages, even if they appear to come from Medicare. The sender could be phishing for your account number, password, or other sensitive information.