Medicare and Social Security Scams Are Everywhere — How to Spot Them Before It’s Too Late

March 16, 2026 · 6 min read

If your parent is over 65, they’re almost certainly getting calls about their Medicare or Social Security. Some are legitimate — open enrollment reminders, benefit statements, plan updates. But a growing number are scams, and they’re designed to sound exactly like the real thing.

Government imposter scams are now the most reported fraud category in the United States. According to the FTC, Americans lost over $789 million to government impersonation scams in 2024 — more than romance scams, tech support scams, or business imposters. And after the IRS — which we covered in our post on tax season scams targeting seniors — Medicare and Social Security are the two most impersonated agencies in the country.

What makes these scams so effective isn’t sophistication. It’s relevance. Unlike a fake bank alert from a bank you don’t use, a call about your Social Security benefits feels like it could be real — because you actually have Social Security benefits. That’s why seniors are the primary target, and why the losses keep climbing.

The four Medicare and Social Security scams hitting hardest right now

1. The “new Medicare card” call

Your phone rings. The caller says they’re from Medicare and you need a new or updated Medicare card. Maybe it’s a “chip-enabled” card, or a card with a “new security feature.” To send it, they just need to verify your Medicare number, your date of birth, and your mailing address.

This scam has been running since CMS issued new Medicare cards in 2018–2019, and it hasn’t stopped. Once scammers have your Medicare number, they can bill fraudulent claims against your account — durable medical equipment, lab tests, home health visits that never happened. Medicare fraud costs the federal government an estimated $60 billion per year, and a stolen Medicare number is one of the most common entry points.

The tell: Medicare will never call you to ask for your Medicare number. They already have it. If you get a new card, it comes in the mail automatically — you don’t need to verify anything by phone.

2. The Social Security suspension scam

This is the most aggressive variant. You receive a call — often a robocall with a professional-sounding recording — saying that your Social Security number has been “suspended” or “compromised” due to suspicious activity. If you don’t act immediately, your benefits will be frozen, you’ll face arrest, or a warrant will be issued.

The caller then transfers you to a “federal agent” who walks you through “securing” your account. This usually means purchasing gift cards or transferring money to a “safe account” controlled by the scammer. In some versions, they ask you to wire money or send cryptocurrency to “protect” your assets while the investigation is underway.

The SSA’s Office of the Inspector General reported receiving over 568,000 reports of Social Security impersonation scams in a single fiscal year — a problem the agency highlights every year on National Slam the Scam Day. Median losses for victims over 70 exceeded $8,000.

The tell: Your Social Security number cannot be suspended. That’s not a thing. The SSA will never threaten you with arrest, demand payment by gift card, or tell you to transfer money to a “safe account.”

3. The Medicare open enrollment phishing scam

Every fall during open enrollment (October 15 – December 7), scammers ramp up calls and emails offering to help you find a “better Medicare plan.” They set up official-looking websites that compare plans and prompt you to enter your personal information, Social Security number, and banking details to “enroll.”

Some of these operations are run by unlicensed “agents” who actually do switch your plan — to one that pays them the highest commission, regardless of whether it covers your doctors or medications. Others are pure data theft — they take your information and disappear.

The tell: Medicare will never call to sell you a plan. If someone contacts you unsolicited about switching your Medicare coverage, they’re either a scammer or an aggressive broker — neither is acting in your interest. Use medicare.gov/plan-compare to research plans yourself, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

4. The benefits increase or cost-of-living call

This one is timed perfectly. Every January, Social Security benefits get a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Scammers call shortly after, claiming there’s an additional increase or a “supplemental benefit” available, but you need to pay a processing fee to unlock it. Or they claim your COLA hasn’t been applied yet and they need your bank details to “direct deposit the adjustment.”

Variations include calls about “stimulus payments,” “back pay,” or “retroactive benefit increases” that require you to verify your identity with personal information.

The tell: Social Security never charges fees for benefit adjustments. COLA increases are automatic. If your benefits change, you’ll get an official letter in the mail — not a phone call asking for your bank account number.

What Medicare and Social Security will never do

These agencies have been clear about their communication boundaries. Memorize this list — or better yet, share it with your parents:

• They will never call to ask for your Medicare number or Social Security number. They already have these numbers. Any call asking you to “verify” or “confirm” them is a scam.
• They will never threaten to suspend your Social Security number. Social Security numbers cannot be suspended, revoked, or deactivated. This is not a real thing.
• They will never demand immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash. Government agencies don’t accept iTunes cards as payment.
• They will never threaten you with arrest. The SSA doesn’t dispatch law enforcement for benefits disputes.
• They will never ask for your bank account information over the phone unless you initiated the call to their official number.
• They will never send you a link by text or email to “verify your identity” or “update your information.” Official account access is at ssa.gov/myaccount and medicare.gov — go there directly, never through a link.

Why these scams work on smart people

Nobody thinks they’ll fall for a government impersonation scam — until they do. These scams exploit specific conditions that are more common in older adults:

• The scam matches their reality. Unlike a fake Bank of America alert sent to someone who banks at Chase, a Social Security call goes to someone who actually receives Social Security. It passes the first filter — “is this relevant to me?” — and that’s enough to keep them on the line.
• Benefits feel fragile. Many seniors worry about losing their Medicare or Social Security. They didn’t design these systems and don’t fully understand the rules. When someone says “your benefits are at risk,” the fear is real — even if the threat isn’t.
• Authority bias is powerful. A caller who says they’re from “the Social Security Administration” carries weight, especially for a generation that grew up trusting government institutions. Saying “I need to verify this with my daughter first” feels rude when you think you’re talking to a federal agent.
• Caller ID confirms the lie. Scammers spoof the real SSA phone number (1-800-772-1213) and real Medicare numbers. When the victim checks caller ID and sees a government number, their last line of defense collapses.

What to do if you or a parent gets one of these calls

1. Hang up. Don’t press any buttons, don’t say “yes” or “no,” and don’t engage. If it’s a robocall asking you to “press 1 to speak with an agent,” just hang up.
2. Verify directly. If you’re concerned about a real issue, call the agency yourself using the number on your card or these official lines:
   • Social Security: 1-800-772-1213 or ssa.gov/myaccount
   • Medicare: 1-800-633-4227 or medicare.gov
3. Report the scam. Every report helps these agencies track and shut down scam operations:
   • SSA scams: oig.ssa.gov or 1-800-269-0271
   • Medicare scams: 1-800-447-8477 (HHS-TIPS) or oig.hhs.gov
   • All fraud: reportfraud.ftc.gov
4. Lock your credit. If you gave out personal information — especially your Social Security number — place a credit freeze with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and request a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com.

The real problem isn’t information — it’s timing

You’re reading this article, which means you probably know the SSA won’t call to suspend your Social Security number. But your father — the one who picks up every call because he grew up in a time when phones were important — doesn’t have this article open when the robocall hits at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday.

He hears an official-sounding voice say his Social Security number has been linked to fraudulent activity in Texas, and that federal agents are involved. He’s never been to Texas. His heart rate goes up. The voice tells him to stay on the line to resolve this before it goes further. He doesn’t call you because the voice said not to tell anyone — it could “compromise the investigation.”

That’s the moment Antigrift exists for. When your parent gets a suspicious call, they forward it to our number and get an instant analysis: real or scam? When they get a text about their “Medicare benefits,” they screenshot it and send it to us. No app to open, no password to remember — just a text message and a clear answer in seconds, before the scammer has time to build pressure.

Government agencies don’t protect your parents from people pretending to be government agencies. Someone has to fill that gap. If you want a practical plan for doing that, start with our guide on how to protect your parents from scams.