What are the red flags of this scam?

Medicare does not call beneficiaries about a new card or to verify your number — they communicate by mail • Offers of 'free' braces, knee wraps, COVID tests, or DNA kits that are 'covered by Medicare' if you give your number • Caller knows your name and address (easily bought) but asks for your Medicare or Social Security number • Pressure to act before benefits 'expire'

What should I do if this happened to me?

Hang up. Medicare will never call you out of the blue asking for your Medicare number • Treat your Medicare number like a credit card number — share it only with doctors you have chosen • If you believe you owe Medicare anything, call them directly at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) • Check your Medicare Summary Notice every quarter for billings you do not recognize • Report Medicare fraud to 1-800-HHS-TIPS or https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/ • Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.

HIGH government impersonation Last reported: Oct 22, 2026 Share

"Medicare" calls about your new card and asks for your Medicare number

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A caller claims to be from Medicare and says you need a new card, a back brace, or genetic testing — they just need to "verify" your Medicare number, Social Security number, and bank details. Medicare numbers are then used to bill Medicare fraudulently or to steal identity.

A caller claims to be from Medicare and says you need a new card, a back brace, or genetic testing — they just need to "verify" your Medicare number, Social Security number, and bank details. Medicare numbers are then used to bill Medicare fraudulently or to steal identity.

Also known as: Medicare card scam, free back brace scam, DNA testing Medicare fraud

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 Hang up. Medicare will never call you out of the blue asking for your Medicare number
2 Treat your Medicare number like a credit card number — share it only with doctors you have chosen
3 If you believe you owe Medicare anything, call them directly at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
4 Check your Medicare Summary Notice every quarter for billings you do not recognize
5 Report Medicare fraud to 1-800-HHS-TIPS or https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/
6 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.

Red flags

⚠ Medicare does not call beneficiaries about a new card or to verify your number — they communicate by mail
⚠ Offers of 'free' braces, knee wraps, COVID tests, or DNA kits that are 'covered by Medicare' if you give your number
⚠ Caller knows your name and address (easily bought) but asks for your Medicare or Social Security number
⚠ Pressure to act before benefits 'expire'

Medicare scams disproportionately target older adults, in part because the value of a stolen Medicare number can be very high — fraudsters bill Medicare for equipment, tests, or services the patient never received.

What’s the real cost when this happens to you? Even if it isn’t your money directly, your Medicare account can be flagged or temporarily suspended while the fraud is investigated, and untangling it takes months.

If you have already given out your Medicare number: call 1-800-MEDICARE, then file a report at 1-800-HHS-TIPS. Watch your Medicare Summary Notices closely for several months.

Known variants

Caller claims the new 2026 Medicare Part D $2,100 out-of-pocket cap entitles the beneficiary to a refund or rebate payment. They ask for bank routing and account numbers to direct deposit the 'overpayment.' The cap is applied automatically at the pharmacy — no call or bank info is ever required.

Last seen: 6/1/2026
Door-to-door solicitors offer free home services — cleaning, meal delivery — conditional on the senior signing Medicare enrollment paperwork for hospice or home health care they don't need. Medicare is billed for services never provided; the victim may lose hospice benefit eligibility when they actually need it.

Last seen: 6/9/2026
AI voice / fake AI advisor calls (Sep–Oct AEP): AI voices spoof 1-800-MEDICARE or pose as ‘Medicare AI Advisor’ chatbots, cite the caller’s name and partial Medicare number from data brokers, claim the plan is ‘discontinued’ unless banking info is confirmed. AEP opened Oct 1; plans cannot legally market before that date. FTC Sep 2026 confirmed the surge.

Last seen: 10/22/2026
Chip-card upgrade (Sep–Oct 2026): caller claims Medicare is replacing paper cards with chip-enabled plastic/metal cards and requires $25–$35 processing fee. Medicare cards are always free to replace; chip cards do not exist. Timed to open enrollment to exploit benefit-update anxiety.

Last seen: 10/22/2026

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

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources