Medicare Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Your Number
If someone calls, texts, or shows up offering “free” braces, test kits, or a new Medicare card — and just needs your Medicare number to process it — you're talking to a scammer. Medicare fraud costs the program billions a year, and much of it starts with a stolen Medicare number. Here's how to recognize the scams, guard your number, and report fraud the moment you spot it.
Quick answer
The single rule that stops most Medicare scams: Medicare will never call you out of the blue to sell you anything, offer free equipment, or ask for your Medicare number or bank information. Real Medicare only calls in limited situations — like returning a call you started. So treat any unexpected call, text, or visit offering free braces, test kits, or a “new” card as a scam, and never give your Medicare number to someone who contacts you first. Guard that number like a credit card, share it only with trusted providers, and report suspected fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or your Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-877-808-2468.
The one rule that stops most Medicare scams
Medicare will never call you uninvited to sell you something, offer free equipment, or ask for your Medicare number or bank details. Medicare (or someone representing it) only calls in limited situations — such as a plan returning your call after you reached out. So if the contact came to you first, assume it's a scam and hang up. That one habit closes the door on the vast majority of Medicare fraud.
What do Medicare scams look like?
They almost always dangle something free and then ask for your Medicare number to “qualify” or “process” it. The offer is the bait; your number is the prize. Watch for these:
- “Free” medical equipment. Back braces, knee braces, wheelchairs, or “no-cost” supplies — in exchange for your Medicare number. The scammer bills Medicare for gear you never needed, or never receive.
- Free genetic or COVID test kits. A caller offers a free cheek-swab or test “covered by Medicare,” then uses your number to bill for expensive tests.
- A “new” Medicare card. There is no fee for a Medicare card, and Medicare won't call to “verify” your number to send one. Anyone charging you or demanding your number for a new card is lying.
- Fake plan “agents” during open enrollment. Scams spike every fall. High-pressure callers push you to switch plans on the spot or hand over personal details — real agents don't rush you or ask for your bank login.
- Threats that your benefits will be “cancelled.” A caller claiming to be from Medicare or Social Security says your coverage will be suspended unless you confirm your number now. Medicare doesn't operate by threat.
How do I protect my Medicare number?
Your Medicare Beneficiary Identifier — the number on your red-white-and-blue card — is as valuable to a thief as a credit card number. Guard it the same way.
- Share it only with people you trust — your doctors, pharmacist, and the insurers you've chosen. Never with someone who contacted you first.
- Don't say it aloud to unexpected callers, and never enter it into a website you reached from a link in a text or email.
- Treat the card like cash. Carry it only when you'll need it, and don't post photos of it online.
- Be skeptical of “free” anything that requires your number. If it were truly free and legitimate, they wouldn't need to pry.
Read your Medicare Summary Notice — it's how you catch fraud
Every few months Medicare sends a statement of what was billed in your name (your Medicare Summary Notice, or the Explanation of Benefits from a Medicare Advantage or drug plan). Skim it for services or equipment you never received, the same visit billed twice, or a provider you don't recognize. Catching a bogus charge here is often the first sign your number has been stolen.
What should I do if I gave out my Medicare number — or spot fraud?
Don't be embarrassed — these scams fool careful people every day, and acting quickly is what limits the damage. Take these steps:
- Report it to Medicare. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) with the details — who contacted you, when, and what they asked for.
- Call your Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). This free, government-funded program helps you review charges and report fraud — reach the national line at 1-877-808-2468.
- Watch your statements. Review your next Medicare Summary Notices closely for charges you don't recognize.
- If you shared bank or card details too, contact your bank right away to flag the account, and consider a credit freeze.
- Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov so it can be tracked and stopped.
The same instincts protect against other cons aimed at older adults. See our guide to internet safety for seniors and, if you're watching out for a parent, how to protect aging parents from scams.
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Good to know
Common questions
Does Medicare ever call you?
Only in limited situations — such as a plan representative returning a call you already started, following up after you joined a plan, or responding to a fraud report you filed. Medicare will never call you out of the blue to sell you something, offer free equipment, or ask for your Medicare number or bank information. If an unexpected caller asks for your number, hang up: it's a scam.
How do I know if a Medicare call is a scam?
Assume it's a scam if the contact came to you first and involves something “free” in exchange for your Medicare number, pressure to act immediately, a threat that your benefits will be cancelled, or a request for your bank details or a payment for a “new” Medicare card. Real Medicare doesn't cold-call to sell, doesn't charge for cards, and doesn't rush or threaten you.
What do I do if I gave my Medicare number to a scammer?
Act quickly and don't be embarrassed. Report it to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and to your Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-877-808-2468, then watch your next Medicare Summary Notices for charges you didn't make. If you also shared bank or card information, call your bank to flag the account. You can report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How do I report Medicare fraud?
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report it online through Medicare.gov. You can also contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 1-877-808-2468 — a free program that helps beneficiaries prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse.
Get organized, stay safe
Keep your Medicare details in one safe place
Knowing your plan, your card number, your providers, and who to call — all in one trusted place — makes fraud easier to spot and easier for a loved one to help with. The Emergency Binder gives every card, policy, and key contact a single secure home.
See the Emergency Binder →