What are the red flags of this scam?

An unsolicited call offering to 'verify,' 'update,' or 'complete' your health insurance enrollment — real Marketplace staff do not call you out of the blue • Caller threatens your current coverage will be cancelled immediately unless you act right now — legitimate enrollment deadlines never require on-the-spot payment • Caller offers a gift card, cash reward, or free gift to switch your plan — authorized agents are not permitted to pay you to change coverage • The plan described sounds like 'comprehensive' coverage but costs nothing — zero-premium junk plans that skip essential benefits are a common deceptive product • Caller uses the word 'Obamacare' — official Marketplace staff never use this term • A paid search ad takes you to a site that looks like HealthCare.gov but has a slightly different domain name — scammers buy search ads to impersonate the official portal • You receive an Explanation of Benefits or a coverage card from a plan you did not choose — your account may have been silently switched

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do not share your name, date of birth, state, or Medicare/Social Security number with any unsolicited caller claiming to be from the Marketplace or Medicare • Enroll only through HealthCare.gov (or your state's official exchange) or by calling 1-800-318-2596 directly — type the address yourself, do not use a link from a text, ad, or email • Check your current coverage regularly at HealthCare.gov — if your plan changed without your authorization, contact the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 to report it and request a correction • Verify any broker is licensed through your state's insurance department before sharing any personal information • If you enrolled in what turned out to be a discount card or limited-benefit plan, file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner and the FTC • Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.

HIGH phishing Last reported: Oct 20, 2026 Share

A caller claiming to be from the Health Insurance Marketplace enrolls you in a junk plan or silently switches your coverage

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A fake agent cold-calls claiming to be from the Marketplace, then enrolls you in a low-value discount plan or secretly switches your real ACA coverage to earn commissions — leaving you uninsured when you try to see a doctor.

A fake agent cold-calls claiming to be from the Marketplace, then enrolls you in a low-value discount plan or secretly switches your real ACA coverage to earn commissions — leaving you uninsured when you try to see a doctor.

Also known as: ACA enrollment fraud, fake health insurance agent scam, unauthorized ACA plan switch, rogue health insurance broker scam, fake marketplace enrollment call, Obamacare plan switching scam, health insurance open enrollment scam

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Do not share your name, date of birth, state, or Medicare/Social Security number with any unsolicited caller claiming to be from the Marketplace or Medicare
2 Enroll only through HealthCare.gov (or your state's official exchange) or by calling 1-800-318-2596 directly — type the address yourself, do not use a link from a text, ad, or email
3 Check your current coverage regularly at HealthCare.gov — if your plan changed without your authorization, contact the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 to report it and request a correction
4 Verify any broker is licensed through your state's insurance department before sharing any personal information
5 If you enrolled in what turned out to be a discount card or limited-benefit plan, file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner and the FTC
6 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.

Red flags

⚠ An unsolicited call offering to 'verify,' 'update,' or 'complete' your health insurance enrollment — real Marketplace staff do not call you out of the blue
⚠ Caller threatens your current coverage will be cancelled immediately unless you act right now — legitimate enrollment deadlines never require on-the-spot payment
⚠ Caller offers a gift card, cash reward, or free gift to switch your plan — authorized agents are not permitted to pay you to change coverage
⚠ The plan described sounds like 'comprehensive' coverage but costs nothing — zero-premium junk plans that skip essential benefits are a common deceptive product
⚠ Caller uses the word 'Obamacare' — official Marketplace staff never use this term
⚠ A paid search ad takes you to a site that looks like HealthCare.gov but has a slightly different domain name — scammers buy search ads to impersonate the official portal
⚠ You receive an Explanation of Benefits or a coverage card from a plan you did not choose — your account may have been silently switched

Known variants

Rogue licensed broker accesses your HealthCare.gov account using only your name, date of birth, and state, then switches you to a plan that pays them higher commissions. You notice nothing until you visit a doctor and find your coverage has changed. Zero-premium plans are especially targeted because no payment change tips you off.

Last seen: 10/20/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources