In short
- Medicare won't call to sell you anything or visit your home. Plans can call only current members or people who gave permission.
- Treat your Medicare Number like a credit card number. Share it only with your doctors, your plan, your agent or a state program you contacted.
- Common schemes include cheek-swab genetic tests, unneeded medical equipment, fake Medicare card calls and misleading plan ads.
- Nebraska SMP (1-800-234-7119) helps you spot and report fraud. Report Medicare Advantage and Part D fraud to 1-877-7SAFERX.
- Read your Medicare Summary Notice or plan statements every time, and question any service you don't recognize.
Medicare fraud costs taxpayers money, and it can cost you too. A stolen Medicare Number can put bogus claims on your record. And open enrollment brings a flood of Medicare ads, mail and calls, which gives scammers cover.
How can you tell a Medicare call is a scam?
Start with one rule: Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home. Medicare.gov says so directly. If someone calls "from Medicare" offering a new card, a refund, a better plan or a benefit you've never heard of, hang up.
Medicare & You 2027 lists the only times Medicare or a plan will call:
- A Medicare plan can call you if you're already a member. The agent who helped you join can also call you.
- A 1-800-MEDICARE representative can call if you left a message or were told someone would call back.
- If you reported suspected fraud, someone representing Medicare may call to follow up.
Everyone else needs your permission first. Medicare.gov's marketing rules say plans and agents can't call you unless you're a member or gave permission, and can't come to your home uninvited.
What are the most common Medicare scams?
The SMP Resource Center, the national hub for Senior Medicare Patrol programs, tracks these schemes. Here are several it lists:
| Scheme | How it works | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic testing | An offer of a cheek swab "cancer screening" by phone, at an event or at the door, to get your Medicare information | Say no. Testing should come from your own doctor. |
| Medical equipment | Braces, wheelchairs, catheters or supplies shipped that you didn't need or order | Refuse delivery, check your statements, report it |
| Medicare card scams | A caller says you need a new card or must "verify" your number | Hang up. Medicare doesn't call about cards. |
| Marketing violations | TV ads, mailers, calls and texts with misleading claims about plans or benefits | Don't give personal information. Report it. |
| Telehealth and remote monitoring | Billing for virtual visits or monitoring devices you never used | Check every statement for services you don't recognize |
| Hospice | Enrolling people in hospice who aren't terminally ill | Ask your own doctor before signing anything |
| Medical identity theft | Using your name and Medicare Number to bill for care | Guard your number. Report suspected misuse. |
Any offer of money or gifts in exchange for using your Medicare is a red flag. So is anything described as costing "nothing" that requires your Medicare Number.
What are the red flags during open enrollment?
Open enrollment for 2027 plans runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Expect more TV ads and mail, and watch for these warning signs. Medicare & You 2027 says to report any plan or agent that:
- Asks for your personal information over the phone or by email
- Calls to enroll you in a plan
- Visits you unexpectedly
- Uses false information to mislead you
Medicare.gov's marketing rules add more things legitimate agents can't do:
- Charge you a fee to process your enrollment
- Ask for payment over the phone or online (the plan sends you a bill)
- Offer cash, or gifts worth more than $15, to join
- Give you a meal during a sales pitch
- Try to sell you products you didn't agree to discuss at an appointment
Plans don't need your personal information to give you a quote. If a caller insists on your Medicare Number "just to check prices," that's your cue to end the call. Our guide to how Medicare agents get paid explains what honest agents can and can't do.
How do you protect your Medicare Number?
Treat it like a credit card number. Medicare & You 2027 says to share it only with doctors and other Medicare providers, insurance companies and their licensed agents or brokers, plans acting on your behalf, or state assistance programs that work with Medicare, and not with anyone who contacts you out of the blue unless you've given them permission in advance.
Then check your records:
- Original Medicare: read every Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), or log in to your Medicare.gov account, where claims are usually available within 24 hours after processing.
- Medicare Advantage or Part D: read the Explanation of Benefits your plan sends.
- Keep a calendar of your appointments and compare it with your statements.
- Ask for an itemized bill if a provider charges for something you don't recognize. They should send it within 30 days.
If you think your number was stolen, call 1-800-MEDICARE and report it. You can also file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov.
Who do you call to report Medicare fraud in Nebraska?
Match the problem to the right office.
| Problem | Who to contact |
|---|---|
| A charge on your Medicare statement you didn't get, or your Medicare Number was misused | 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) |
| Help figuring out if something is fraud, and reporting it | Nebraska SMP: 1-800-234-7119, [email protected] |
| Fraud involving a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan | I-MEDIC: 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379) |
| Fraud in Medicare, Medicaid or other HHS programs | HHS Office of Inspector General: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or tips.oig.hhs.gov |
| Insurance fraud by an agent, company or applicant | Nebraska Department of Insurance, Insurance Fraud Prevention Division: 402-471-2201, [email protected] |
| A complaint about an agent or insurance company | Nebraska Department of Insurance: 877-564-7323 |
1-800-MEDICARE is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
Nebraska SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) is part of the Nebraska Department of Insurance and shares a hotline with Nebraska SHIP. Its counselors are screened, trained and certified, and many are volunteers. They help you sort out a suspicious bill or call and make the report. The Nebraska Department of Insurance's Insurance Fraud Prevention Division is a certified law enforcement division that investigates insurance fraud and can seek prosecution. It also takes reports online through the NAIC's fraud reporting system.
Where can you learn more?
Our guide to Nebraska SHIP and who helps with what explains the state's counseling and SMP programs, and the Lincoln Medicare resources page lists local help. If you're comparing ways to get Medicare help, see a local agent vs Medicare.gov vs a call center. And if you want a real person to look over a suspicious letter or call during your annual enrollment review, talk to me.
Frequently asked questions
Only in limited situations. Medicare.gov says Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home. A Medicare plan can call you if you're already a member, and the agent who helped you join can call you. A 1-800-MEDICARE representative may call back if you left a message, and someone may follow up if you reported suspected fraud.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE right away and say you think your number has been used fraudulently. Then watch your Medicare Summary Notices or plan statements, or log in to your Medicare.gov account, for claims you don't recognize. You can also report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov. Nebraska SMP at 1-800-234-7119 can walk you through the steps at no cost.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or Nebraska SHIP and SMP at 1-800-234-7119. For Medicare Advantage or Part D fraud, call the Investigations Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor at 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379). You can also report to the HHS Office of Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS. For insurance fraud by an agent or company, contact the Nebraska Department of Insurance.
Scammers offer people with Medicare a cheek swab for genetic testing, often described as cancer screening, by phone, at a health fair or at the door. The real goal is your Medicare information, which they use to bill Medicare for tests that weren't needed. If anyone offers you a genetic test you didn't ask your own doctor for, say no and report it.
Only if you're already a member of their plan or you've given permission to be contacted. Medicare & You 2027 tells you to report plans or agents that call to enroll you, ask for personal information over the phone or email, visit you unexpectedly, or use false information to mislead you. Agents also can't charge you a fee to enroll or offer gifts worth more than $15.
Nebraska SMP, or Senior Medicare Patrol, is part of the Nebraska Department of Insurance and works alongside Nebraska SHIP. It helps people with Medicare, their families and caregivers prevent, detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse through counseling and education. Call 1-800-234-7119 or email [email protected]. SMP programs are funded federally in every state.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare & You 2027 handbook (CMS Product No. 10050) (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: SHIP and SMP (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: Insurance Fraud Prevention Division (opens in a new tab)
- SMP Resource Center: Medicare fraud schemes (opens in a new tab)
- HHS Office of Inspector General: Report fraud (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Marketing rules for health and drug plans (opens in a new tab)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
