Healthcare United States Medium risk
Medicare Card & Equipment Scam
A caller offers a new Medicare card, brace or genetic test and only needs your Medicare number.
- Who scammers target
- Adults over 65 and their carers
- Typical reported loss
- $100 – $2,000 plus identity misuse
- Why people fall for this
- Health cover feels administrative and confusing, so a routine-sounding request for card details seems normal.
How it works
- 1A caller claims new plastic Medicare cards are being issued and asks to verify your number.
- 2Or they offer a "free" back brace, DNA cancer screening or COVID test kit.
- 3Your Medicare number is then used to bill for equipment and services you never received.
- 4You may only find out when a legitimate claim is denied as already used.
Real-world example
Frank accepts a free knee brace over the phone and gives his Medicare number. Two braces arrive; Medicare is billed $1,900. When he later needs a real brace, the claim is refused.
- Unsolicited offers of free medical equipment or genetic testing.
- A request for your Medicare number over the phone or at a health fair.
- Pressure to accept something "at no cost to you".
- Treat your Medicare number like a credit card number — never give it to an inbound caller.
- Check your Medicare Summary Notices for services you did not receive.
- Only accept equipment ordered by your own doctor.
- Report suspected fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE and reportfraud.ftc.gov.
What it looks like
Incoming call
"Medicare Benefits Dept — confirm your number"
"Approve the request on your app to receive the refund."