What Can a Scammer Do With Your Medicare Number? (And How to Protect It)

Medicare numbers are among the most sought-after pieces of information in elder fraud. Unlike a Social Security number, which fraudsters use broadly, Medicare numbers enable a specific and highly profitable crime: medical billing fraud. Understanding exactly what scammers do with a Medicare number — and what to do if your parent has already given theirs out — can prevent thousands of dollars in losses and more damaging medical record complications.

What a Scammer Can Do With a Medicare Number

Submit fraudulent medical billing claims

This is the primary use. A fraudster with your parent's Medicare number and some basic identifying information (name, date of birth, address) can bill Medicare for medical services that were never provided — phantom physical therapy sessions, medical equipment never delivered, laboratory tests never ordered, or home health visits that did not occur.

Medicare pays billions of dollars annually in fraudulent claims. Your parent may never notice because Medicare handles billing directly and many seniors do not carefully review their Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs), which document every claim billed to their account.

The harm is not just financial. Fraudulent claims corrupt your parent's medical record, creating a documented history of conditions, procedures, and treatments they never had. This can:

• Interfere with future insurance coverage applications
• Create confusing medical histories that complicate actual care
• Result in your parent being contacted about follow-up care for procedures they did not have

Claim medical equipment and supplies

Scammers use Medicare numbers to order durable medical equipment — wheelchairs, walkers, orthotics, power scooters — billed to Medicare but shipped elsewhere or not shipped at all. This runs up Medicare's costs and can affect your parent's coverage limits for legitimate equipment needs.

Sell the information to other fraudsters

Medicare numbers are bought and sold on criminal marketplaces. Once your parent's information is in one database, it may circulate for years, generating ongoing fraudulent claims long after the original compromise.

How Scammers Get Medicare Numbers

The "free gift" phone call

The most common method: a caller offers free medical equipment, a genetic testing kit, a back or knee brace, or a diabetes supply kit as part of a "government program." They ask for the Medicare number to "verify eligibility" and "process the shipment." The gift may never arrive. The number is used for billing fraud.

Fake Medicare representatives

A caller claims to be from "Medicare's help center," the "Medicare enrollment office," or a similar official-sounding agency and says they need to update records, issue a new card, or verify current coverage. They request the Medicare number along with other identifying information.

What you need to know: Medicare does not call beneficiaries unsolicited to ask for personal information. Medicare contacts beneficiaries by mail. Any call claiming to be from Medicare and asking for your Medicare number is a scam.

Medicare scam mail

Letters arrive that look like official Medicare correspondence — formatted with similar colors, fonts, and government-sounding language — requesting the Medicare number for "plan verification," "supplemental coverage enrollment," or "new card processing." Some of these letters are so well-designed that they are difficult to distinguish from legitimate Medicare mail without close inspection.

The tell: legitimate Medicare mail comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and never asks for your Medicare number via a return form. Your Medicare number is already on file with Medicare.

Insurance company impersonators

Callers posing as Medicare Advantage plan representatives, Medicare supplement (Medigap) agents, or Part D prescription drug plan representatives use high-pressure sales tactics, sometimes during Medicare Open Enrollment periods when beneficiaries expect plan-related calls. They use the consultation as a vehicle to collect the Medicare number.

Telemarketing calls during enrollment periods

During Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15 – December 7), the volume of unsolicited calls about Medicare plans increases dramatically — and so does the volume of scam calls. Scammers know seniors expect Medicare-related calls during this window and are more likely to engage.

Does Medicare Actually Call?

Rarely, and with severe restrictions. Here is the complete picture:

• Medicare (CMS) itself contacts beneficiaries primarily by mail, not by phone
• Your current Medicare plan (Advantage or Part D) may call you, but only if you are an existing member, and they cannot ask for your Medicare number — they already have it
• Medicare-approved insurance agents can call, but only if you gave them permission to contact you OR if you requested information from them
• Medicare will never call you to sell you anything — unsolicited sales calls claiming Medicare affiliation are illegal under federal law

If your parent receives an unexpected call from "Medicare," the right response is to hang up and call Medicare directly at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to verify whether any action is needed on their account.

What to Do If Your Parent Gave Their Medicare Number to a Scammer

Act promptly. Here is the sequence:

1. Call Medicare immediately

Call 1-800-MEDICARE and report that your parent's Medicare number may have been compromised. Ask them to flag the account for monitoring and check for any recent claims your parent does not recognize.

2. Review recent Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs)

MSNs are mailed quarterly and document every claim billed to your parent's account. You can also review claims online by creating or logging into a Medicare.gov account. Look for:

• Services on dates when your parent was home or did not visit a provider
• Equipment or supplies that were never received
• Providers your parent has never seen

3. Report fraudulent claims

Report suspected Medicare fraud to the HHS Office of Inspector General:

• Online: oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud
• Phone: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
• Or report directly to your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)

4. Request a new Medicare number if warranted

In cases of confirmed fraud, CMS can issue a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) number. Ask the Medicare representative about this option when you call.

5. Monitor the medical record

Ask your parent's primary care physician to review the medical record for any conditions or procedures that should not be there. A clean medical record matters for future insurance and care decisions.

How to Prevent Medicare Number Theft Going Forward

• Keep the Medicare card at home. Your parent does not need to carry it daily — only bring it to actual medical appointments.
• Take a photo of the card and store it securely in a password manager or encrypted notes app so it is accessible when needed without requiring the physical card to travel everywhere.
• Never give the Medicare number over the phone unless your parent initiated the call to a provider they know.
• Shred any mail containing Medicare information before discarding.
• Review MSNs promptly each quarter. Consider logging into Medicare.gov monthly if your parent is at higher risk.

Medicare fraud is one of the most damaging and least-visible scams targeting older adults. The Elder Scam Shield guide covers Medicare fraud in depth alongside 15 other scam types — with a complete monitoring checklist, reporting script, and step-by-step recovery plan. Download the guide here.