The Medicare Call: Fraud, Free Equipment, and the New Card Scam
The caller says they are from Medicare, that the parent's number was compromised, that a free back brace or test kit is available, or that a new card must be activated for a fee. All of these are fraud scripts. This page is what Medicare actually does, the tells to recognize, and the official way to report.
Medicare does not call for the number
The Medicare fraud map
Medicare does not call to sell cards, ask for the Medicare number, or charge for equipment. The common scripts share one tell: a call asking for the number, a payment, or both.
- The scriptsNew card, free equipment, verification"Your card is being replaced, we need the number and a fee," "you qualify for free equipment, just give the number," or "confirm your Medicare number." Real Medicare already has it.
- In the momentHang up, confirm nothingDo not confirm any personal information, including the Medicare number. Real Medicare correspondence arrives by mail or through the official portal, not an unsolicited call.
- Verify officially1-800-MEDICARE, looked up yourselfCall 1-800-MEDICARE from a number the family looks up, or check the official Medicare account online, and review the Medicare Summary Notice for charges the parent never received.
- If the number was given outRequest a new number nowCall 1-800-MEDICARE and ask for a new Medicare number, watch the claims statements for months, and tell the parent the honest version: it happens, it is fixable, and it is not their fault.
The rule, in one sentence: Medicare does not call to sell cards, ask for your Medicare number, or charge for equipment. If a call does any of those, hang up and report it.
The common scripts
- The new card scam. "Your Medicare card is being replaced; we need your number and a fee to activate it." Medicare cards are free, and Medicare does not call to ask for the number on the card.
- The free equipment call. "You qualify for a free back brace, knee brace, or test kit; we just need your Medicare number." The equipment gets billed to Medicare at inflated prices, and the parent often receives nothing usable.
- The identity-verification call. "We need to confirm your Medicare number for your records." Real Medicare already has it; it does not need the parent to read it back.
Why it works on parents
Medicare is real, central, and confusing, and the parent wants to keep coverage working. The scam borrows that legitimacy and adds urgency or a freebie. The tell is always the same: a call that asks for the Medicare number, a payment, or both. Real Medicare correspondence about the parent's coverage arrives by mail or through the official Medicare portal, not through an unsolicited call.
What to do
- Hang up. Do not confirm any personal information, including the Medicare number.
- Verify through the official channel. If the call claimed to be about the parent's real coverage, call 1-800-MEDICARE from a number you look up yourself, or check the parent's official Medicare account online.
- Review the Medicare Summary Notice. Medicare's own fraud guidance says to check claims statements for charges the parent never received; that is how fraud shows up.
- Report. Medicare publishes the reporting lines: 1-800-MEDICARE and the online fraud report form. The FTC is the second report: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If the parent already gave out the number
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE immediately and ask for a new Medicare number; fraud specialists can issue one.
- Watch the claims statements for the next several months and challenge anything the parent did not receive.
- Tell the parent the honest version: this happens to thousands of people, the number can be replaced, and it is fixable. Protection, not shame: scam recovery.
Related
- Medicare explained: what coverage actually looks like.
- Verify any message independently: the habit that beats the scripts.
- Impersonation scams: the government-impersonation pattern.
Sources
- Medicare: Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse (retrieved August 2026)
- Medicare: Protecting Yourself From Fraud (PDF, retrieved August 2026)
- Medicare: The 4 Rs for Fighting Medicare Fraud (PDF, retrieved August 2026)
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