"Hi, this is Medicare calling. Open enrollment started on October 15, and we're sending out new cards this year. I just need to confirm your Medicare number and date of birth so yours isn't delayed." The voice is friendly, the caller knows your name and the timing is perfect. That's exactly why it works.
Every fall, between October 15 and December 7, people with Medicare can change their health and drug coverage for the next year. Changes take effect on January 1. It's a real deadline with real money at stake, and it turns those seven weeks into the busiest season of the year for Medicare scam calls and robocalls.
Here's our position, and the rest of this article backs it up: during open enrollment, a call you didn't ask for is never the right place to make a Medicare decision. Medicare itself doesn't call to sell you anything, and private plans aren't allowed to cold-call you either. So the unexpected call is, at best, a pushy sales lead and, at worst, someone collecting your Medicare number.
Who is allowed to call you about Medicare
Start with the official rules, because they do most of the work for you. Medicare says it will never call you to sell you anything and will never visit you at home. It only calls and asks for personal information in a few limited situations, such as returning a call you made or following up after you joined a plan or reported fraud.
Private plans are on a short leash too. Federal marketing rules for Medicare Advantage and drug plans ban cold calling, robocalls, text messages and voicemails as unsolicited outreach. A plan you already belong to may call you, and an agent you contacted first may call you back. A call doesn't count as unsolicited if you gave consent or reached out yourself.
What nobody tells you is how much that narrows the field. If you didn't call anyone, didn't fill out a reply card or web form and aren't already a member, almost no legitimate caller has a reason to dial your number about Medicare. That turns every call into one simple screening question: "Did I start this?"
The five scripts you'll hear this fall
The wording changes, but nearly every Medicare scam call follows one of a handful of scripts. Some arrive as live calls, some as robocalls that say "press 1 to speak to a licensed agent" and some as voicemails asking you to call back.
| What the caller says | What's really going on | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "We're sending you a new Medicare card" | Fishing for your Medicare number. There is no card swap tied to open enrollment. | Hang up. Print or order a replacement yourself in your Medicare account. |
| "Your plan is ending, you have to switch today" | Pressure to sign you up with whoever pays the caller, or a lie to get your details. | Read the Annual Notice of Change your plan sends each fall and call the plan using the number on your card. |
| "You qualify for extra benefits, like a grocery card" | A lead-selling pitch. Medicare doesn't issue "flex cards" - only some private plans offer extra allowances. | Don't press 1. Check your plan documents or call 1-800-MEDICARE. |
| "Free back brace, genetic test or glucose monitor" | Billing fraud: someone bills Medicare with your number for things you didn't need. | Say no. Tests and equipment come from your own doctor. |
| "Your benefits will be canceled unless you verify" | Plain identity theft. Medicare won't call you uninvited to ask for personal information. | Hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself. |
The card script deserves a closer look because it's the one that sounds most believable. Medicare did replace everyone's card once: between 2018 and 2019, new cards with a random Medicare Number replaced the old ones that showed Social Security numbers. Those cards were free and came by mail, with no phone call needed. Scammers have been recycling that story ever since. If you need a replacement today, medicare.gov says you can log into your secure Medicare account to print or order an official copy, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to have one mailed.
Why your Medicare number is the real target
Plenty of people guard their bank card and hand over their Medicare number without a second thought. Medicare tells you to protect your Medicare Number like a credit card and to share it only with your doctors, your insurers or plans, and trusted groups like your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
Our take: in one way a stolen Medicare number is worse than a stolen card number. A suspicious card charge often triggers an alert from your bank within days. A bogus claim for a knee brace or a lab test can sit quietly on a Medicare Summary Notice or a plan's Explanation of Benefits that you skim and file away. By the time you notice, the money has been paid out in your name.
That's why the polite caller who only wants to "confirm" your number is more dangerous than the rude one demanding payment. Confirming is still sharing.
What to do when a Medicare call comes in
- Ask yourself whether you started it. If you didn't call a plan, an agent or Medicare first, treat the call as unsolicited and share nothing.
- Don't press 1, and don't call back the number left in a voicemail. Interacting with a robocall tells the sender your line is live, which usually means more calls.
- Ignore the caller ID. A screen that says "Medicare" or shows a local area code proves nothing. Our FAQ on whether spammers can spoof caller ID explains how easy it is to fake.
- Hang up and call a number you trust. Use 1-800-MEDICARE, the member services number on your plan card or your state's SHIP counselors, who give free, unbiased help.
- Compare plans on your own schedule. The official Plan Finder on medicare.gov shows the plans available in your ZIP code. Nothing you need to do before December 7 requires a stranger on the phone.
The gray zone: when you did ask for information
Sometimes the line is blurry. Maybe you clicked an online ad about "Medicare benefits you may be missing" a few weeks ago and typed in your phone number. That form can count as permission for agents to call, and lead sellers may pass your number to several of them. The calls may be technically allowed and still be high-pressure.
In practice, the fix is the same. Tell the caller you'll contact the plan directly, hang up and look up the plan's number yourself. A legitimate agent loses nothing by waiting a day. A scammer loses everything.
You can also look up the number that called. On Who Called This? each number page shows reports from other people and complaints filed with the FTC about that number, so you can see whether others got the same "Medicare benefits" call this week.
Things that never happen on a real Medicare call
- Medicare calling out of the blue to sell you a plan or a product
- Anyone needing your Medicare number to "send" you a new card
- A plan you don't belong to calling you without your permission
- A fee to replace your card or to "activate" benefits
- Free medical equipment or genetic tests offered by a stranger
- A threat that your benefits will be canceled today unless you verify
If you already gave out your Medicare number
Don't wait for the next statement. Call 1-800-MEDICARE and explain what happened. Then read every Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits for services you didn't receive. Medicare also lists the HHS Office of Inspector General as a place to report suspected fraud online. The Senior Medicare Patrol, a free national program, helps people spot and report Medicare fraud at 1-877-808-2468.
If you also shared your Social Security number or bank details, IdentityTheft.gov builds a personal recovery plan, and your bank should hear from you the same day. For the phone side of things, our FAQ on what to do if you answered a spam call walks through the next steps.
Medicare call questions
Can a Medicare Advantage agent call me during open enrollment?
Only if you're already a member of their plan, you contacted them first or you gave permission, for example on a web form. Cold calls, robocalls and unsolicited texts are banned by federal marketing rules.
Is "press 1 to speak to a licensed agent" a real Medicare call?
No. Medicare doesn't robocall to sell coverage. At best it's a lead seller passing you to whichever agent pays for the call. At worst it's a scammer.
Will I lose my coverage if I ignore these calls?
No. If you're happy with your current plan, you generally don't need to do anything during open enrollment. If your plan is changing or leaving your area, the plan tells you in writing, not through a stranger's phone call.
The bottom line
Open enrollment is a decision you make on your own schedule, using phone numbers you looked up yourself. Medicare doesn't cold-call, plans can't cold-call, and no card, benefit or deadline requires you to read your Medicare number to someone who called you. If you didn't start the call, end it.