The Better Business Bureau says scammers are phoning people during open enrollment, posing as agents who promise a cheaper health plan and ask for private numbers.
If a stranger calls this fall offering to find you a better health plan, hang up. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that scammers are using open enrollment to trick people out of money and personal information. The callers pose as agents and say they can switch you to a cheaper plan.
The BBB's Scam Tracker collects reports from people who got these calls. Callers say the new plan costs less and keeps all the same services. To get started, they ask for your Medicare ID number and your Social Security number. Sharing them can lead to identity theft.
One person described a caller who asked if a new, updated Medicare card had arrived in the mail. He then confirmed the person's name and mailing address. Next he asked for the old card and for details printed on it, including the number. The person refused.
Anyone adding or changing coverage is a target. That includes people on Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Healthcare.gov plans. Workers who get benefits emails from an employer should also be careful, since scam messages can look like routine paperwork.
Timing matters because the windows are open now. Medicare open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Healthcare.gov enrollment starts Nov. 1. Dec. 15 is the last day to enroll or change plans for coverage starting Jan. 1. Jan. 15 is the last day for coverage starting Feb. 1. Medicare Advantage open enrollment runs from Jan. 1 to March 31, or within three months of getting Medicare.
Real help does exist. Healthcare.gov and Medicare offer free guidance through people sometimes called Navigators or Assisters. They cannot charge for their support. They also will not call you first. You reach out to them. If you started the contact yourself, you are in a very different situation from someone getting a surprise call.
The alert box above lists the steps. The short version is to hang up on unexpected callers, guard your government-issued numbers, and make changes only through official sites or your insurer.
The BBB report does not say how many people have been targeted or how much money has been lost. It also does not say how long the calls will continue. Since the enrollment windows run into the new year, staying alert through then is the safe approach.
Never act on a surprise call about your health plan. Hang up and make changes yourself at Medicare.gov or Healthcare.gov.
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