Is that call about your Medicare plan or card real?

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7.⁴ If someone calls you out of the blue about your Medicare plan, your card or your benefits, do not give them your Medicare Number or any payment. Medicare says it will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.¹ It also says it will never call you uninvited and ask you to give personal or private information.²

Not every call is fake. A Medicare health or drug plan can call you if you are already a member, and the agent who helped you join can call you too. A 1-800-MEDICARE representative can call you back if you left a message, and someone may follow up if you reported fraud.³ The safe way to tell is the same every time: hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) yourself.²

Here is the kind of call to watch for:

How to tell

• The caller asks for your Medicare Number. Medicare says not to share it with anyone who contacts you by phone, email or in person, unless you contacted them first and gave them permission to contact you.²
• The caller asks for money or threatens to cancel your health benefits. Medicare’s advice is to hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE.²
• A plan calls when you are not a member. Plans are not allowed to call you unless you are already a member of the plan.³
• They want to sign you up on the spot. Plans may not enroll you in a Medicare drug plan over the phone unless you call them.³ Medicare says not to join a health or drug plan over the phone unless you called and asked for help.¹
• They ask you to pay over the phone. Plans are not allowed to ask for payment over the phone, online or in person. The plan must send you a bill.³
• They offer something free. Be suspicious of anyone who says equipment or a service is free and they only need your Medicare Number for their records.³

If the caller says you need a new card

Medicare mails your card in your welcome packet when you sign up. If your card is lost or damaged, you can log in to (or create) your secure Medicare account to print or order an official copy. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE to have a replacement card sent in the mail.²

What to do

1. Hang up. Do not give your Medicare Number, Social Security Number, bank account number or card number to the caller.²³
2. Find out whether anything is really wrong or due. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) yourself. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Medicare says it is there to help 24 hours a day, including weekends.⁴ If you have a plan, you can also call the plan.³
3. Check your claims. A secure Medicare.gov account lets you see your Original Medicare claims as soon as they are processed, so you can spot mistakes sooner.¹
4. To compare plans during Open Enrollment, use Medicare.gov/plan-compare or call 1-800-MEDICARE. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can also help; visit shiphelp.org for your local SHIP’s number.⁴ Medicare says Medicare.gov, the “Medicare & You” handbook and 1-800-MEDICARE are your official sources of unbiased Medicare information.⁴

If you already gave your number or paid

1. Call 1-800-MEDICARE if you think someone else is using your Medicare Number.²
2. If you think you gave your personal information to someone you should not have, call the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-438-4338. TTY users can call 1-866-653-4261.³ You can also report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.¹
3. Check your Medicare Summary Notices or your plan’s statements for services you did not get.³
4. If you think you were enrolled in a Medicare plan without your consent, or an agent misled you, call 1-800-MEDICARE.³

Where to report it

• Medicare. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).¹
• HHS Office of Inspector General. Report Medicare fraud online at oig.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). TTY users can call 1-800-377-4950.¹³
• If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare drug plan, you can also call the Investigations Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (I-MEDIC) at 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379).¹