Medicare Scams
Fake calls or emails claiming to be from Medicare, asking for your Medicare number or bank details.
How This Scam Works
Scammers call, text, or email pretending to be from Medicare. They ask you to verify or update your Medicare number, offer free medical equipment, or claim you need a new Medicare card. Medicare will never call you unsolicited to ask for personal information.
Who's Most at Risk
Adults 65+ who recently qualified for Medicare, especially during Open Enrollment (October-December). Newly enrolled and dual-eligible (Medicare + Medicaid) recipients are targeted heaviest.
Red Flags to Watch For
- •Unsolicited call claiming to be from Medicare
- •Offer of 'free' medical equipment in exchange for your Medicare number
- •Threat that your Medicare will be cancelled if you don't act now
- •Request to pay in gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
How to Protect Yourself
- ✓Never give your Medicare number over the phone unless YOU initiated the call
- ✓Hang up on unsolicited callers
- ✓Check statements for services you didn't receive
- ✓Report suspicious activity to 1-800-MEDICARE
If You've Already Been Targeted
The most important thing after being targeted is speed — the first 24-48 hours give the best chance of stopping further loss. Take these actions in order:
- 1.Call 1-800-MEDICARE immediately if your Medicare number was shared
- 2.Review your Medicare Summary Notice for unauthorized services and dispute them
- 3.Request a new Medicare number if yours may have been compromised
- 4.Stop all contact with the scammer immediately. Block phone, email, social media.
- 5.Contact your bank and credit card issuers to freeze accounts or reverse recent transactions.
- 6.File a report at reportfraud.ftc.gov and with your state Attorney General.
- 7.File a local police report — creates a legal record for insurance and tax purposes.
- 8.Consider a credit freeze at all three bureaus if identity information was shared.
Note:No legitimate agency will ask you to pay a "recovery fee" to get your money back. That's a follow-up scam by different criminals who've bought lists of prior victims.
Where to Report This Scam
Primary reporting: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or oig.hhs.gov/fraud
Also file with:
- • FTC Consumer Sentinel — reportfraud.ftc.gov (nationwide database)
- • Your state Attorney General — for local prosecution authority
- • FBI IC3 — ic3.gov if the scam originated online or overseas
Find your state's specific reporting resources on our state fraud pages.
Why This Scam Works
Scams exploit specific psychological pressure points. This one primarily uses:
- • Novelty: Newer tactics or AI-enabled techniques catch victims who haven't heard warnings yet. Report volume is trending up nationally.
- • Urgency and time pressure: Scammers demand fast decisions to prevent victims from calling family or thinking through inconsistencies.
- • Authority impersonation: Government agencies, banks, and health insurers carry inherent trust that scammers exploit.
- • Isolation: Instructions to "not tell anyone" keep victims from seeking help until it's too late.
- • Emotional hijacking: Fear (arrest, penalty, illness), hope (winnings, love), or guilt (helping family) short-circuit critical thinking.
Awareness is the strongest defense. Once you recognize the pattern, the same tactics feel much less convincing.
Common Questions — Medicare Scams
Can I get my money back?
Depends on how you paid. Credit card charges can be disputed for up to 60 days. Bank transfers can occasionally be reversed within 24-48 hours. Wire transfers and gift cards are usually gone within hours. Cryptocurrency is essentially unrecoverable. Report fast — the first 24 hours matter most.
Will police actually investigate?
Most individual scam losses are too small for police investigation. Reporting still matters: aggregated reports let FTC and state AGs identify large criminal networks. Larger losses (over $10k) and scams involving named suspects are more likely to see actual investigation.
Am I likely to be targeted again?
Yes. Scammers sell "responsive" victim lists to other scammers. Expect follow-up contacts for months — often for supposed "refund services" or "help recovering your funds" that are just more scams. Freeze credit, change phone numbers if needed, and be extra skeptical of all unsolicited outreach going forward.
Should I feel embarrassed?
No. Modern scams are engineered by professionals who study behavioral psychology. Educated, experienced people fall victim regularly — it's not a sign of poor judgment. Talking about it openly is what protects future victims.
Are older adults specifically targeted?
Yes. FTC data shows adults 60+ report higher median individual losses than younger adults, even though they report fewer incidents overall. Scammers target seniors because they're more likely to have savings and less likely to be tech-savvy about verification.
Related Scams to Watch For
These scams share similar tactics or target similar victims: