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How to Spot and Avoid Medicare Scams

The most common Medicare scams — fake card calls, genetic-testing fraud, plan-switching pressure, equipment schemes — and how to protect and report your number.

Last reviewed: July 2026

Why your Medicare number is a target

To a fraudster, a Medicare number works a lot like a credit card number. With it, a dishonest supplier or telemarketing operation can bill Medicare for braces, test kits, or visits that never happened. The Senior Medicare Patrol notes that estimates place losses to Medicare fraud at roughly $60 billion a year, though the true figure is impossible to measure precisely.

The damage is not only to the program. Fraudulent claims land in your own file: they can corrupt your medical record, use up benefits you may genuinely need later, and — if Medicare denies a claim — potentially leave you facing the bill. That is why the schemes below almost always come down to one goal: getting you to say your Medicare number out loud.

The "new Medicare card" call

A caller claims Medicare is issuing new cards — often described as plastic, metal, or "chip-enabled" — and says they need to verify your Medicare number, collect a processing fee, or "activate" the new card before your benefits lapse. Every part of that pitch is false.

The real Medicare card is paper, with a blue band at the top and a red band at the bottom. Medicare has not issued plastic or chip cards, and the last general redesign was in 2018, when 11-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers replaced Social Security–based numbers. Medicare does sometimes mail replacement cards — in 2026, more than a million beneficiaries received cards with new numbers after a data-security incident involving fraudulent Medicare.gov accounts — but those arrive by mail, unannounced by phone, with no activation step and no fee. If anyone calls about your card, hang up and dial 1-800-MEDICARE yourself.

"Free" genetic tests and screenings

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has warned about fraudsters offering "free" genetic tests — often a cheek swab — at health fairs, senior centers, and by phone or door-to-door visits. In exchange for your Medicare number, they bill Medicare for expensive tests that were never ordered by your own doctor. If Medicare denies the claim as not medically necessary, you could be responsible for the full cost, which can run to thousands of dollars.

Medicare does cover many legitimate screenings and some genetic testing, but only in specific situations and generally when ordered by your own treating provider — see our guide to Medicare's preventive benefits for what is actually covered. If a testing kit you never ordered arrives in the mail, do not use it; refuse the delivery or return it to the sender, and note the company's name in case you want to report it.

Unsolicited plan-switching pressure

Federal marketing rules bar Medicare Advantage and Part D plans — and the agents who sell them — from calling you uninvited unless you are already a member or gave the plan permission to contact you. Uninvited door-to-door sales visits are also prohibited. So an out-of-the-blue call urging you to switch plans "before the deadline" is, at best, breaking Medicare's rules — and at worst, a scheme to enroll you in a plan without your consent or to harvest your Medicare number under the guise of "checking your eligibility."

These calls spike every fall during Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7) — see Medicare's enrollment periods for how legitimate plan changes actually work. Whether a different plan, or Medicare Advantage versus Original Medicare, makes sense for you depends entirely on your own doctors, drugs, and budget — no phone stranger can know that. For free, unbiased help comparing options, use the plan finder at medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

Medical equipment you never ordered

Durable medical equipment (DME) fraud is one of the oldest schemes in the book: a telemarketer offers a "free" back brace, knee brace, wheelchair, catheter supply, or nebulizer "covered by Medicare," then bills the program for gear that is overpriced, medically unnecessary, or never delivered at all. Warning signs the Senior Medicare Patrol flags include unsolicited deliveries, charges on your statements for equipment you never received, suppliers who ask for your Medicare number over the phone or at a presentation, and billing that continues after a loved one has died.

The rule of thumb is simple: only accept equipment your own doctor prescribed, from a supplier you or your doctor chose.

What Medicare will never do by phone

Medicare states plainly that it will never call you uninvited and ask for personal or private information. Specifically, no legitimate call from Medicare will:

One more caution: caller ID is not proof of anything. Scammers routinely "spoof" official-looking numbers, so a screen that reads "Medicare" or shows a government area code means nothing. When in doubt, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE directly.

Protect your number and read your statements

Treat your Medicare card the way you treat a credit card. Give the number only to your doctors, pharmacists, insurers, and people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf — and never to anyone who contacted you first, however friendly or official they sound.

Then check the paper trail. If you have Original Medicare, review the Medicare Summary Notice you receive every three months; if you are in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, review your monthly Explanation of Benefits. You can also see claims sooner through a secure Medicare.gov account. Look for services you did not receive, duplicate charges, and providers you have never heard of. Knowing what you should normally pay helps here — our guide to Medicare costs in 2026 covers the standard amounts. A billing error is not always fraud; start by calling the provider's office, and if a legitimate claim was wrongly denied, see our guide to appeals and denials.

If you believe your number has been compromised, call 1-800-MEDICARE. Medicare can flag your account and, when warranted, issue you a new number and card.

How to report a scam — and why it matters

Reporting costs you nothing, cannot jeopardize your benefits, and is often how these operations finally get shut down. Keep your Medicare number, the provider or company name, the date of service, and the relevant statement handy, then use any of these channels:

If you are new to Medicare and still getting oriented, our overview of how the parts of Medicare fit together is a good place to start — scammers count on confusion, and a little familiarity goes a long way.

Sources

This guide is for general education only and is not medical, legal, insurance, or financial advice. For decisions about your own coverage, use official sources or free help from your SHIP counselor.