Your Medicare number is valuable to criminals. With it, they can bill Medicare for tests, equipment and services you never received, and your records can end up wrong. So scammers work hard to get it, usually by pretending to be from Medicare.

This article is about Medicare in the United States. If you’re in Australia, see the note at the end.

What Medicare really does, and never does

  • Medicare says it will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.
  • The FCC warns that Medicare will never call you uninvited to ask for personal or private information.
  • There is no fee for a Medicare card. New cards are mailed automatically if your address is up to date.

So if a caller says they’re from Medicare and wants your number, your bank details or a payment, it’s a scam.

Safety tip

Scammers can make “Medicare” or a real government number appear on your caller ID. Hang up and call Medicare yourself on 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Common Medicare scams

The “new card” call. “Your old card is expiring. We need to verify your details to send your new one,” or “There’s a fee for your new card, or your coverage will be cancelled.” Both are fake.

Free genetic or DNA tests. Someone at a health fair, on the phone or at your door offers a free cheek-swab test for cancer or heart disease. Government investigators have warned that these offers are used to steal Medicare information and bill for tests you didn’t need.

Free medical equipment. Back braces, knee braces or diabetes supplies you didn’t ask for, “covered by Medicare”. If a box arrives that your doctor didn’t order, don’t accept it, and report it.

Plan “upgrades”. Pushy callers offering better Medicare plans or extra benefits, if you just confirm your Medicare number first.

What to do

  1. Hang up. Don’t confirm your name, date of birth or Medicare number.
  2. Never give your Medicare number to someone who calls, texts or knocks on your door. Share it only with your doctors, your pharmacy and your own insurer.
  3. Check your statements. Look for services, tests or equipment you don’t recognize. Medicare suggests comparing your statements with your calendar.
  4. Report it. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or report online to the HHS Office of Inspector General. You can also report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Say this

“I don’t give out my Medicare number on the phone. I’ll call Medicare myself.” Then hang up.

Try this

Write “Medicare never calls me uninvited” on the sticky note by your phone. Our free Scam-Stopper Kit has a trusted-numbers sheet with space for Medicare’s number too.

In Australia

Scammers also pretend to be from Medicare and myGov in Australia, usually by text message or email with a link to a fake sign-in page. Don’t use links in these messages. Go to myGov or the Express Plus Medicare app yourself. Services Australia keeps a list of current scams on its Medicare scams page, and you can report scams to Scamwatch.

For more on phone scams, read the safe account scam and what to do if you clicked a scam link.