Scam Watch · Prevention · Verified June 2026
Medicare will never…
- Call, text, or email you out of the blue to ask for your Medicare number or Social Security number. Medicare already has them — it doesn't need you to "confirm" anything.
- Send a plastic or chip card. The real card is paper, red-white-and-blue, and always free. Anything plastic or "smart" is not from Medicare.
- Charge a fee to issue, "activate," or "upgrade" your card.
- Threaten to cancel your benefits or demand immediate payment to keep coverage.
- Ask for payment by gift card, wire transfer, or a payment app. No government agency ever does.
- Send someone to your door to sign you up or collect your information.
- Pressure you to decide right now. Real Medicare decisions have windows measured in weeks and months, never minutes.
What Medicare actually does
It mails you things — your card, your handbook (Medicare & You), and your Medicare Summary Notice. It answers when you call 1-800-MEDICARE. And if you're in a plan, that plan contacts you through official mail and the number on your card. Notice the pattern: legitimate Medicare contact is almost always something you started, or plain mail you can verify at your own pace.
The one rule that covers most of it: if someone contacts you first and wants your number, your money, or a fast decision — stop. Hang up or set it aside, and call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself. You lose nothing by checking.
The free Medicare Scam Safety Sheet
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