Hang up. Then tell a person you actually know.
The voice is polite. It knows your name, or it pretends to. It says there is a problem with your Medicare card, a new card that must be paid for, or a refund that requires your bank. Then it wants a gift card, a wire, or the number on the red, white, and blue card. Hang up. Medicare does not work that way.
What you do not give them
- Your Medicare number.
- Your Social Security number.
- A bank account, a routing number, or a code from a text message.
- Payment by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency. Those are the tell.
Call back only on a number you looked up yourself. The number printed for Medicare is 1-800-MEDICARE, which is 1-800-633-4227. Use that, or the number on your card, or the page at medicare.gov. Do not use the number the caller just recited. A replacement card, when you actually need one, is free from Medicare. Anyone selling you one is not Medicare.
Then tell a person
After you hang up, tell someone you know. A daughter, a neighbor, the person who sits with you and already has the story. Say what they asked for. Reporting also goes to 1-800-MEDICARE and to the fraud page linked below. You are not being a bother. You are closing the window they opened.
The photograph on this piece is a visit, not a phone call. That is the point. The person who helps you is someone whose face you have seen. The caller who will not let you hang up is not that person.
Sources to read yourself
A note from the desk
This is general education, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Rules change, and your plan document controls your account. Before you move money, ask the plan administrator or a tax professional.