Medicare Open Enrollment Scams: The Calls and Texts That Spike in October

Every fall, right on schedule, the phone calls start. Someone claiming to be from Medicare says your card is expiring, your benefits are about to be cut off, or you need to “verify” your Medicare number before October 15.

None of it is true. Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7 every year, and scammers treat those weeks like their own busy season. Here is the one rule to remember before anything else: Medicare does not call you uninvited. If you did not start the contact, be suspicious of anyone on the line who says they are Medicare.

This guide covers why the calls spike, the exact scripts to hang up on, what legitimate contact actually looks like, and what to do if you already shared information. If you have adult kids who help with your paperwork, this is a good one to forward to them too.

Why These Scams Spike in October

Open Enrollment is the one time of year when most people with Medicare are expected to review their coverage and possibly switch plans. Scammers know you are primed to hear from insurance companies, compare plans, and make decisions on a deadline. A call about “your 2027 benefits” sounds plausible in October in a way it would not in March.

The Federal Trade Commission and state insurance departments warn every year that impostor calls climb during this window. Callers pose as Medicare employees, “eligibility specialists,” plan representatives, and even “CMS verification officers.” The Senior Medicare Patrol, a federally funded program that helps people spot and report Medicare fraud, reports the same seasonal pattern.

The goal is almost always the same: your Medicare number, your Social Security number, or your bank details. A Medicare number is valuable because thieves can use it to bill Medicare for equipment and services you never received, which pollutes your medical records and drains the program.

The pressure is the tell. Real enrollment decisions happen on your schedule, anytime between October 15 and December 7. Anyone who says you must act today, or by 3 p.m., or before your benefits “expire,” is running a script.

The Scripts to Hang Up On

These are the pitches that fraud investigators at the FTC, CMS, and the Senior Medicare Patrol see most often each fall. If you hear one, you can hang up without another word. That is not rude. It is the correct response.

“We need to send you your new Medicare card.” The caller says a new card is being issued (plastic, chip-enabled, “updated for 2027”) and asks you to confirm your Medicare number, Social Security number, or a card fee. Medicare mails cards automatically and for free. It never calls to collect information or payment for one.

“Your benefits are expiring.” Medicare benefits do not expire, and nobody at Medicare calls to threaten cancellation. The urgency is manufactured to make you read numbers over the phone before you can think it through.

“You qualify for a flex card with $2,800 on it.” Some private Medicare Advantage plans do offer modest flex benefits to their own members. But calls and ads promising Medicare is handing out loaded debit cards are a documented scam that the Senior Medicare Patrol and AARP’s Fraud Watch Network have both flagged. The “application” is just a way to harvest your personal information.

“I can enroll you in a better plan right now.” Unsolicited enrollment pitches are a red flag on two counts. Legitimate agents are not allowed to cold-call you about Medicare plans, and no honest agent needs your Medicare number just to “check what you qualify for.”

Texts with links. Some people have received texts claiming to be from Medicare about a new card, a benefits update, or a flex card. Medicare does not text you out of the blue asking you to click a link or call a number. Delete it without clicking.

One more thing: do not trust your caller ID. Scammers can make it display “Medicare” or an official-looking number. The display proves nothing.

What Real Medicare Contact Looks Like

Legitimate contact is boring, and mostly on paper. Here is what it actually looks like.

Mail first. Medicare communicates through letters and mailed notices, like the “Medicare & You” handbook that arrives each fall and your plan’s Annual Notice of Change. If something needs your attention, you will see it in writing.

Calls you started. If you call 1-800-MEDICARE, someone may call you back about that specific issue. If you filed a fraud report, someone may follow up. Those are responses to you, not cold calls.

Agents you contacted first. If you filled out a form requesting plan information or asked an agent to call you, that callback is legitimate. The difference is simple: you invited it.

Your own plan, within limits. Your current insurer may contact you about the plan you are already in. But even then, it should never need you to read out your full Medicare number to “verify” who you are on a call it placed.

When in doubt, hang up and dial 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) yourself. Calling the real number puts you back in control, and the representative can tell you whether anything on your account actually needs attention.

If You Already Gave Out Information

It happens, and it happens to sharp people. These callers do this all day, every day, and their scripts are built to work. Skip the self-blame and take these steps.

1. Call 1-800-MEDICARE and tell them you shared your Medicare number with someone you now suspect was a scammer. Ask them to make a note on your account.
2. Watch your statements. Review your Medicare Summary Notices or your plan’s Explanation of Benefits for equipment, tests, or services you never received, and report anything unfamiliar.
3. If you shared your Social Security number or bank details, go to IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s recovery site. It walks you through a personalized checklist, including fraud alerts with the credit bureaus.
4. Tell your bank right away if you gave account or card numbers, so they can watch for or block charges.

Acting within a day or two closes most of the doors a scammer could use. You have more power here than the caller wanted you to believe.

How to Report a Medicare Scam

Reporting matters even when you lost nothing, because reports are how investigators spot patterns and warn others. Three places take these reports.

• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for any call, text, or bill involving your Medicare coverage or number.
• Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-877-808-2468 for free, confidential help from a program built exactly for this. They can help you read statements and file reports.
• The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov for any impostor call or text, Medicare-related or not.

Open Enrollment itself is nothing to dread. Review your plan, make your choices by December 7, and let every uninvited “Medicare” caller talk to your dial tone. On a related note, our identity protection category on the perks page lists monitoring services we have reviewed, several with discounts for members 55 and up.

We publish scam alerts throughout Open Enrollment as new schemes surface. Subscribe to Retired Perks and we will send them straight to your inbox, no phone calls, ever.

Sources

• FTC Consumer Alert: This Medicare Open Enrollment season, learn how to protect yourself from scams
• FTC Business Blog: Help your employees avoid scams during Medicare open enrollment
• Medicare.gov: Your Medicare Card
• Medicare.gov: Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse
• Senior Medicare Patrol: Flex Card Scam Circulates
• AARP: Medicare Flex Card Scams
• NCOA: 5 Warning Signs of a Medicare Scam
• FCC: Older Americans and Medicare Call Scams
• FTC: IdentityTheft.gov