Medicare Scam Calls: How to Recognize and Stop Them

"Hi, this is Jennifer from Medicare. We're issuing new cards this year and I need to verify your information to make sure you receive yours on time."

Your mother hears "Medicare," she hears "government," and her guard drops immediately. She confirms her name, her date of birth, her Medicare number. The caller thanks her warmly and hangs up.

Within 48 hours, fraudulent charges appear on her account. Someone has used her Medicare number to bill for medical equipment she never received — a back brace, a knee support sleeve, and a "free" genetic testing kit.

Medicare scam calls are among the most common and successful frauds targeting American seniors. They work because they exploit two things older adults take seriously: their health and their fear of losing government benefits.

Why Medicare fraud is so effective

Medicare serves over 65 million Americans, the vast majority of whom are over 65. For many seniors, their Medicare benefits represent their primary access to healthcare — and any threat to those benefits triggers immediate anxiety.

Scammers exploit this anxiety through a simple formula: urgency + authority = compliance. When someone calls claiming to be from "Medicare" and says your benefits are at risk, most seniors will cooperate without question. They were raised to respect government authority, and "Medicare" sounds about as official as it gets.

The scam is also effective because Medicare does legitimately contact beneficiaries about enrollment periods, plan changes, and card updates. Seniors can't always distinguish a real Medicare communication from a fake one — especially when the fake one sounds professional and uses the right terminology.

The most common Medicare scam variants

The "new card" scam

How it works: The caller claims Medicare is issuing new cards (sometimes "smart cards" or "chip-enabled cards") and needs to verify the senior's personal information to process the replacement. They ask for the full Medicare number, Social Security number, date of birth, and sometimes bank account details for "premium payments."

Why it works: Medicare did actually transition to new cards with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) a few years ago, so many seniors remember receiving new cards and assume it could happen again. The caller sounds official, the request seems reasonable, and the senior doesn't want to risk losing coverage.

The tell: Medicare will never call you to ask for your Medicare number. They already have it. And they will never ask for your Social Security number or bank details over the phone.

The "genetic testing" scam

How it works: The caller offers a "free genetic testing kit" covered by Medicare that can screen for cancer, heart disease, or other conditions. All the senior needs to do is provide their Medicare number so the company can "check eligibility." A kit may actually arrive in the mail — but it's used to bill Medicare for thousands of dollars in unnecessary tests.

Why it works: The offer sounds genuinely beneficial ("Who wouldn't want free cancer screening?"), and the senior believes Medicare is covering the cost. They don't realize that their Medicare number is being used to file fraudulent claims.

The tell: Legitimate genetic testing is ordered by your doctor based on medical need. No company should be cold-calling to offer genetic tests. If Medicare didn't authorize it through your physician, it's a scam.

The "billing error" scam

How it works: The caller claims there's been a billing error or overpayment on the senior's Medicare account. They need to "verify identity" to process a refund, or they claim the senior owes money and must pay immediately to avoid losing coverage.

Why it works: Medical billing is genuinely confusing. Most seniors receive Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements they don't fully understand, so the idea that there's a billing error seems completely plausible.

The tell: Medicare will never threaten to cancel your benefits if you don't pay over the phone. If there's a real billing issue, it will be communicated in writing, and you can verify it by calling 1-800-MEDICARE directly.

The "medical equipment" scam

How it works: The caller offers free medical equipment — back braces, knee braces, wheelchairs, medical alert devices — "at no cost to you because Medicare covers it." They ship low-quality or unnecessary equipment and bill Medicare at inflated prices.

Why it works: Many seniors do use Medicare-covered medical equipment, so the offer seems legitimate. The free price tag eliminates resistance.

The tell: Your doctor must prescribe durable medical equipment for Medicare to cover it. Any cold call offering "free" equipment is almost certainly a scam to defraud Medicare (and put your number at risk).

The Open Enrollment season surge

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7 every year. During this period, scam calls increase dramatically — sometimes by 400% — because seniors are actively expecting communications about plan changes. Scammers time their operations to blend in with the legitimate noise.

Protective steps during enrollment season:

  • Only discuss Medicare plans with your existing provider or through Medicare.gov
  • Never give your Medicare number to someone who called you
  • If someone offers to "help you choose a plan," verify they're a licensed insurance agent through your state's insurance department
  • Use the official Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare

How to block Medicare scam calls

On the senior's phone

iPhone: Go to Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers. This sends all calls from numbers not in the contact list to voicemail. Legitimate callers will leave a message; scammers won't.

Android: Open the Phone app → Settings → Caller ID & spam → enable "Filter spam calls." Samsung devices have a built-in spam filter that works particularly well.

Landline: Consider a dedicated call blocker like the CPR V5000 or Panasonic call-blocking phones. These devices maintain databases of known scam numbers and can block calls automatically.

At the carrier level

  • AT&T: AT&T Call Protect (free tier available)
  • Verizon: Call Filter (free tier available)
  • T-Mobile: Scam Shield (free for all customers)

Call your parent's carrier and ask them to enable spam filtering on the account. Most carriers offer this for free.

At the government level

Register your parent's number on the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov). This won't stop all scam calls — criminals don't respect the registry — but it does reduce the volume of legitimate telemarketing calls, making suspicious calls easier to identify.

What to do if your parent already gave out their Medicare number

If your parent has shared their Medicare number with a suspected scammer, act quickly:

  1. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Report the potential fraud and request a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI). Medicare can flag the compromised number and issue a replacement card.

  2. Review Medicare Summary Notices. Check recent statements for services or equipment your parent didn't receive. If you find fraudulent charges, report them through Medicare's online fraud reporting tool or call the Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-877-808-2468.

  3. Place a fraud alert. Contact one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to place a fraud alert on your parent's credit file. They're required to notify the other two bureaus automatically.

  4. Monitor the mail. Watch for medical equipment that wasn't ordered, bills for services not received, or EOB statements with unfamiliar charges. These are signs that the Medicare number is being used for fraudulent billing.

  5. File a report. Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state's Senior Medicare Patrol (smpresource.org).

Teaching your parent the "Medicare rule"

The simplest protection is a single rule your parent can memorize:

"Medicare will never call me. If someone says they're from Medicare, I hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE myself."

This is true. Medicare does not make unsolicited phone calls to beneficiaries. Any call claiming to be from Medicare is, by definition, not from Medicare. By giving your parent this one fact — and writing it on a card they keep by the phone — you eliminate the entire category of Medicare phone fraud.

Write it down. Tape it to the phone. Practice it. The Elder Scam Shield guide includes a printable Refrigerator Defense Sheet with this rule and others — a single large-print page designed to be visible every time your parent reaches for the phone.