The Medicare open enrollment scam

Scam guide · Updated October 5, 2026

Medicare Open Enrollment runs every year from October 15 to December 7. (Medicare) It's the one stretch of the year when millions of people are expecting to hear about Medicare plans — which is exactly why scammers show up too. On September 28, 2026 the FTC warned that health insurance scams “pick up during Open Enrollment for Medicare and the Marketplace,” including fake websites made to look like Medicare.gov and HealthCare.gov. (FTC)

The goal is almost always the same: your Medicare number, your Social Security number or your bank details. Here's how the calls and texts work, the rules Medicare itself follows, and what to do if you've already answered.

What the text looks like

It can arrive as a text, a phone call or a voicemail, an email, a social media message, or even a knock at the door. The FTC says scammers pretend to be from Medicare or a business you know, and may use the Medicare name. (FTC) The pitch changes, but it usually claims your coverage is at risk or that you're owed something new.

The number reaches someone who sounds official. They “verify” you by asking for your Medicare number, then your Social Security number or bank account — or they push you into a plan you didn't ask for. Some steer you to a lookalike website through a paid search ad instead. (FTC)

The one fact that settles it

Medicare spells out what it does and doesn't do:

• “Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give us personal or private information.” (Medicare.gov)
• “Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.” Medicare or someone representing it will only call and ask for personal information in limited situations — like returning your call, or after you've joined a plan or reported fraud. (Medicare.gov)
• Medicare's fraud booklet adds that its representatives won't send unsolicited texts or emails asking for your personal information, and that only a plan you already belong to — or the agent who helped you join — may call you. (Medicare)

And the claim at the heart of most of these messages is false: you don't have to act to keep your coverage. Medicare says that if you keep your current health and drug coverage, “they don't need to do anything—their coverage will continue automatically.” (Medicare)

Other signs it's fake

• It asks you to “verify” or “confirm” your Medicare number. The Michigan Attorney General's office says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “will never call to ask for or check Medicare numbers.” (Michigan AG)
• It mentions a “new Medicare card.” Medicare doesn't call about cards; if you need a replacement, you order it yourself through your Medicare account or 1-800-MEDICARE. (Medicare.gov)
• The caller says they're an “official Medicare agent.” Michigan's AG says anyone selling insurance while claiming that title is a scammer. (Michigan AG)
• It offers something “free” — equipment, gifts, cash — if you just give your Medicare number, or says “Medicare wants you to have” it. Medicare lists both as red flags. (Medicare)
• Your caller ID says “Medicare” or a government number. That proves nothing: scammers can make their calls show a number that seems legitimate. (Michigan AG)
• A website looks official but isn't .gov, or you reached it through a search result marked “Ad” or “Sponsored.” (FTC)

What to do

1. Hang up, or don't reply. Don't call back a number from the message, tap its link or open an attachment. Never give your Medicare, Social Security or bank number to someone who contacted you out of the blue. (FTC)
2. Check with Medicare yourself. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or type Medicare.gov into your browser rather than clicking an ad. (FTC)
3. Get free, unbiased help with plans from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) instead of a stranger on the phone. (FTC)
4. Report it. Tell Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM). Our guide on how to report a scam text walks through each option.
5. Warn the people you look out for. If a parent is on Medicare, tell them now that Medicare won't call to “check” their number — before the first call comes.

If you already paid or shared details

Act today. What to do depends on what you gave away:

• Your Medicare number: call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it. Medicare's fraud booklet points you to the FTC's identity theft hotline, 1-877-438-4338, for help replacing your number and stopping false claims. (Medicare)
• Watch your statements: if you have Original Medicare, your Medicare Summary Notice lists the services and equipment billed in your name. Look for anything you didn't get. (Medicare)
• Your Social Security number: go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan. (FTC)
• A card or bank account: call your bank using the number on the back of your card and ask them to block it and reverse the charge. (FTC)
• You were switched into a plan you didn't want: call 1-800-MEDICARE and explain what happened. Changes made during open enrollment don't start until January 1, which gives you time. (Medicare)

The Senior Medicare Patrol can also help you sort out what happened: find your local program at smpresource.org or call 1-877-808-2468. (Medicare)

Common questions

Does Medicare call or text you during open enrollment?

Not out of the blue. Medicare says it will never call you uninvited and ask for personal or private information, won't call to sell you anything, and doesn't send unsolicited texts or emails asking for your details. It may call back in limited cases, such as after you called Medicare or joined a plan.

Do I have to do anything during open enrollment to keep my Medicare?

No. Medicare says that if you keep your current health and drug coverage, you don't need to do anything; your coverage continues automatically. Open enrollment (October 15 to December 7) is only for people who want to change plans.

I gave a caller my Medicare number. What now?

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report it, and call the FTC's identity theft hotline at 1-877-438-4338 for help, which Medicare points to for replacing your number. Then check your Medicare Summary Notices for services you didn't get.

Related: the “you missed jury duty” scam and the “Hi Mom, new number” scam, two more that lean on fear and urgency.

Sources

• FTC — What to know ahead of Open Enrollment to avoid health insurance scams (September 28, 2026)
• FTC — How to avoid Medicare Open Enrollment scams
• Medicare.gov — Reporting Medicare fraud & abuse
• Medicare.gov — Your Medicare card
• Medicare — Protecting yourself & Medicare from fraud (booklet, revised February 2025)
• Medicare — Remember key Medicare dates (fact sheet)
• Michigan Department of Attorney General — Beware of Medicare open enrollment scams
• FTC — What to do if you were scammed

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