Calls and texts about your Medicare card or benefits
Medicare sends your card automatically for free and will not call, email or text to sell you anything or ask for your Medicare number. You never have to pay for your Medicare card.
If this is happening to you right now
- Stop. Do not pay, click, or share any code or password.
- Hang up or stop replying.
- Tell someone you trust. Scammers want it kept secret.
- Look up the real number yourself before calling anyone back.
How this scam works
- You get a call, email or text from someone saying they work for Medicare. They ask for your Medicare, bank account or credit card number for a "new" card.
- Or they say they need your Medicare number for a medical equipment claim you do not remember. The FTC says Medicare impersonators want your number to file fraudulent claims.
- During Open Enrollment, the FTC says scammers and dishonest businesses pay for search ads and use web addresses and logos that look like Medicare.gov. Using the phone number or link in the ad can lead to a plan that is not real health insurance, or to medical identity theft.
Warning signs
- Anyone asking you to pay for a Medicare card.
- Unexpected contact asking for your Medicare number or other personal information.
- A claim you do not remember making.
What to do
- Do not respond. Do not call the number they give or the one on caller ID.
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) with questions about your benefits, number or card, or to report anything suspicious (FTC).
- Shopping for a plan? The FTC says to type Medicare.gov into the search bar yourself, scroll past results marked "Ad" or "Sponsored", and check for the .gov ending. Free help comparing plans: your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) or Senior Medicare Patrol.
- Check your Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits; if something looks wrong, ask the provider or plan, then your state Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).
- When using the SMP online form, do not put your Medicare number, Social Security number or confidential information in it.
Where to report it
- Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP): 877-808-2468
- 1-800-MEDICARE: 1-800-633-4227
- HHS Office of Inspector General hotline: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477)
- FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
More: full reporting directory · what to do after you paid · family safety plan
Common questions
Is that Medicare plan ad at the top of my search results real?
Not always. The FTC says scammers sometimes pay to appear at the top of search results during Open Enrollment and copy official logos. Type Medicare.gov yourself or call 800-633-4227.
Do I have to pay for a new Medicare card?
The FTC says Medicare sends its cards to you automatically for free. You never have to do or pay anything.
Who is the Senior Medicare Patrol?
Per the SMP Resource Center, SMPs are grant-funded projects of HHS's Administration for Community Living that help beneficiaries, families and caregivers prevent, detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse.
Sources
Last verified: October 17, 2026. We link to the original public pages. Hotline hours and agency advice can change; check the linked page.
- How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam (FTC; Nov 2023)
- What to know ahead of Open Enrollment to avoid health insurance scams (FTC; September 28, 2026)
- Report Fraud - Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP Resource Center (funded by ACL/HHS); undated page)
- SMP Resource Center (SMP Resource Center; undated page)
- SMP Locator (SMP Resource Center; undated page)