Who's Really on the Other End of That Medicare Call?
The phone rings. The voice on the other end says your name, your age, and your address. It sounds official. It may even sound friendly. Within a minute, you're being asked to confirm your Medicare number. What do you do?
At Lourie Life & Health, we hear versions of this story often from the South Carolina families we work with. Complaints about Medicare-related scam calls have climbed sharply over the past year, and reports to the Better Business Bureau show these calls remain one of the top concerns among Medicare beneficiaries. Some people tell us they've gotten a dozen or more of these calls in a single day. During the upcoming fall months the increase in calls tends to be worse, because legitimate outreach about Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement plans, and Prescription Drug Plans picks up at the very same time scammers ramp up their efforts, making it harder to tell who's genuinely trying to help you and who's trying to take advantage of you.
We're here to help you tell the difference. Below, we break down how these calls tend to sound, what a real, licensed local agent will never do, and the simple habits that keep your Medicare information safe.
The Three Pitches You're Most Likely to Hear
Many Medicare scam calls follow similar scripts. Once you recognize a few key patterns, the calls lose a lot of their power over you.
1. "You qualify for extra benefits"
A recorded voice says it's reaching out to make sure you receive unclaimed Medicare benefits. The recording asks whether you have Medicare Part A and Part B, then transfers you to a live person. The real goal is either to harvest your personal information or to switch you into a Medicare Advantage plan you never asked for and doesn’t fit your needs.
2. "Your card is expiring"
The caller warns that your Medicare card is about to expire, or that your coverage could be interrupted unless you verify a few details right now. Fear and urgency are the entire strategy here. Medicare cards don't expire the way a credit card does, and Medicare itself does not call you out of the blue to "verify" your card. If you hand over your Medicare number or Social Security number to a stranger, criminals can use it to steal your identity or bill Medicare for services you never received.
3. "Something free is on the way"
Free knee braces. Free hearing aids. Free gift cards or a free smartphone. The offered gift is bait, plain and simple. One woman in Texas received a large box of orthopedic braces she never ordered and later learned Medicare had been billed more than $700 for them. Her secondary insurer was charged as well, and additional fraudulent claims were filed for supplies she never requested. Fraudulent claims like these can also leave inaccurate information in your medical record, including diagnoses for conditions you don't actually have, which can follow you for years and complicate future care or coverage decisions.
Fake Agents Are Part of the Problem
Not every scammer sounds like a robot reading a script. Some present themselves as licensed insurance agents who want to help. They may reference a well-known insurance company by name, quote a specific Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Supplement plan, or offer to "walk you through your options" right there on the phone, on the spot, before you've had a chance to think it over.
A real, licensed agent will not:
- Pressure you to make a decision during a first call
- Refuse to give you a full name, license number, or office phone number
- Ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or a payment app
- Tell you that you must act today or lose your Medicare coverage
- Show up at your door uninvited to sell you a plan
This is exactly why, at Lourie Life & Health, we've built our business around being local agents within your community, with trusted faces in our offices in Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach. Verifying an agent is simpler than most people expect. Check out our “Meet The Team” section to learn more about each agent here at Lourie Life & Health.
When you get a call out of the blue, remember it is ok to ask for their name and license number. Also, you can hang up and call the agency's main office number yourself using a number you looked up independently, not one the caller gave you. You can also check any agent's license standing with your state Department of Insurance. Anyone who is genuinely licensed and reputable will never mind you taking that extra step; they know you need to be careful with something as important as your Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Prescription Drug Plan coverage.
A Few Habits That Keep You Safe
A few consistent habits go a long way toward protecting your coverage and your identity:
- Treat unexpected Medicare calls with skepticism, even ones that sound friendly or knowledgeable
- Never give your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details to someone who called you first
- Remember that Medicare generally reaches out by mail first and does not call to ask for your Medicare number or banking information
- Hang up on anyone who pressures you or claims your coverage is at risk if you don't act immediately
- Read your Medicare Summary Notices and Explanation of Benefits statements line by line, and look for charges, equipment, or services you don't recognize
- Report anything unfamiliar right away, rather than waiting to see if it happens again
Hanging up may feel rude in the moment, but it is, without question, the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself.
If You Think You Already Shared Something You Shouldn't Have
Act quickly, but don't panic. Write down what you shared and when you shared it. Review your recent statements for anything unusual. Then report it. You can contact 1-800-MEDICARE, or file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The sooner it's reported, the sooner it can be investigated and the sooner any fraudulent charges can be addressed.
Why The Fall Season Makes This Worse
It's worth pausing on why fall in particular brings such a spike in these calls. Insurance carriers send mailers, agents reach out to existing clients about plan changes, and pharmacies remind people to check their drug formularies before the upcoming new year. Scammers know this is happening too, and they deliberately blend in with all that legitimate activity, hoping a call about "reviewing your Medicare Advantage options" or "updating your Prescription Drug Plan" will feel routine enough that you let your guard down.
This is one more reason it helps enormously to already have a trusted, licensed local agent in your corner before the fall season hits. When you already know who your agent is, where their office is, and how to reach them directly, a suspicious call becomes easy to dismiss. You're not trying to figure out, in the moment, whether a stranger on the phone is legitimate. You already have someone whose name and license you can look up, whose office you could call if you wanted to, and who has no reason to pressure you into a same-day decision.
It also helps to remember that comparing Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement plans, and Prescription Drug Plans is rarely a five-minute phone conversation to begin with. A thoughtful review means looking at your current doctors and prescriptions, your budget, and ensuring your providers are in network, then matching those details against what each plan actually covers. That kind of side-by-side comparison takes time and a real understanding of your situation, which is precisely the opposite of what a scammer wants. Anyone rushing you toward an on-the-spot decision about your Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, or Prescription Drug Plan coverage is showing you, by that pressure alone, that something isn't right.
The Easiest Defense Is a Person You Already Know
Scam calls work because they catch people on their own and unsure, without anyone to check the story against. Having a licensed agent you already trust changes that completely. You have a real person and a real number you can call to ask whether an offer is genuine before you respond to it, whether it's about a Medicare Advantage plan, a Medicare Supplement plan, or a Prescription Drug Plan you're being asked to switch into.
At Lourie Life & Health, that's exactly the role we play for families across South Carolina. Whether you're comparing Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement plans for the first time, trying to make sense of a confusing Prescription Drug Plan renewal notice, or you just want a second opinion on a call you received, our local agents in Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach are here to help, and there is never a cost to you for that guidance. If you have questions about a call you received, or you'd simply like a second set of eyes on your current Medicare coverage, reach out to your nearest Lourie Life & Health office. We're here to help you protect what you've earned.