Medicare scammers target seniors with promises of free equipment, genetic testing, or benefits. They want your Medicare number to commit billing fraud. Medicare never calls you asking for your number.
About this scam type: Calls offering free Medicare benefits or asking to verify your Medicare card
ScamRadar verdict: scam · Risk score: 93/100
Caller: Hi, I'm calling from Medicare with great news. Because of your age, you qualify for a free back brace, knee brace, and diabetic supplies at no cost to you. I just need to verify your Medicare ID number, your date of birth, and your bank account so we can ship the items right away.
Medicare does not cold-call beneficiaries to offer free equipment, and would never need your bank account to ship Medicare-covered supplies. This is medical identity theft and Medicare fraud.
If you gave your Medicare number, call 1-800-MEDICARE immediately to report it and request a new Medicare card with a different number (Medicare will issue a new ID for proven fraud cases). Review your Medicare Summary Notice and Medicare.gov claims history every month for unauthorized claims — this is the only way to catch billing fraud. If you gave your bank account or Social Security number, place a fraud alert and credit freeze with all three credit bureaus, file at IdentityTheft.gov, and contact your bank. Report Medicare fraud directly to the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at smpresource.org or 1-877-808-2468 — they specialize in helping seniors recover from medical identity theft.
Medicare does not call beneficiaries to sell equipment, switch plans, verify enrollment, or offer free items. The only proactive contact Medicare makes is by US Mail. If you have questions, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or log into your account at medicare.gov. During Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7), call volume increases for legitimate plan questions you initiated, but Medicare itself still does not cold-call. Plan agents you sign up for may call back, but only if you specifically requested it.
Medicare does not cold-call beneficiaries. The only calls you should expect are return calls from a plan you specifically requested information from. Medicare communicates by US Mail and through your secure Medicare.gov account.
Medical data has been breached extensively over the past decade — over 100 million Americans have had health information exposed. Scammers buy this data on the dark web. Knowing your Medicare number does not prove they are from Medicare.
They can use it to bill Medicare for services or equipment you never received, which is medical identity theft. Review your Medicare Summary Notice every month at medicare.gov/claims. Report any unfamiliar charges to 1-800-MEDICARE and the Senior Medicare Patrol.
Medicare does cover medically necessary durable medical equipment when prescribed by your doctor and supplied by an enrolled supplier. But Medicare does not cold-call to offer it, and any unsolicited offer of free braces, diabetic supplies, or genetic testing is fraud.
Report to 1-800-MEDICARE, to the Senior Medicare Patrol at smpresource.org or 1-877-808-2468, and to the HHS Office of Inspector General at tips.hhs.gov. The SMP is the dedicated federally-funded program for helping seniors with Medicare fraud.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-24 by the ScamRadar editorial team. We update this page when scammer tactics change or when official agencies issue new guidance.
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