By the Securify teamPublished Oct 25, 2026. 2 min read.
The safe move
Hang up. If you want a new card or a different plan, call 1-800-MEDICARE or the number on your card yourself.
Incoming callMedicare Benefits Services1
Hi, this is Medicare Benefits Services. Your new Medicare card is ready to mail, I just need to check your Medicare number first2. And enrollment closes November 303, so let's move you to a better plan today. Don't worry, nothing about your doctors or drugs will change4.
What gives it away
1
An uninvited Medicare call
The Iowa Attorney General says Medicare and Medicare plans don't start calls with you.
2
Checking your number for a new card
Real replacement cards come by mail after you request one. Nobody calls to confirm your number first.
3
A fake deadline
Open Enrollment runs Oct 15 to Dec 7. A caller with an earlier deadline is a red flag.
4
Switch with no changes
Any plan switch can change your network, drug coverage or out-of-pocket costs.
Pretends to be
Medicare or a Medicare plan
Arrives by
Phone call
After
Your Medicare number and personal details
Main source
Iowa Attorney General, Oct 15, 2026
What’s going on
Medicare Open Enrollment runs Oct 15 to Dec 7. On Oct 15, 2026, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird warned that Medicare doesn't start calls or texts with you. Her red flags: a caller who must check your number before sending a new card, a deadline earlier than Dec 7, and a plan switch where everything supposedly stays the same. Real replacement cards come by mail after you ask for one. Stolen numbers can be used for fraud in your name.
If you gave your number
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and tell them what happened.
Check your Medicare Summary Notices for services you didn't get.
Contact your state attorney general's consumer office to report the call.
Report it
Report it to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE, to your state attorney general, or to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Safe move: Hang up. The FTC says it won't call to cut off your phone or ask you for money. Don't call any number the caller tells you to look up. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Safe move: Don’t engage. The FTC says real payments arrive on their own by Venmo, PayPal or check, with no claim forms or fees. If you expect one, open the payment app yourself to check.
