To stop unwanted Medicare calls, put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov, turn on the call-blocking tools your phone carrier offers, refuse to share your Medicare number with anyone who calls you, and report the calls that keep coming. Legitimate marketers have to honor the registry, and callers who ignore it are breaking federal law you can enforce yourself for $500 to $1,500 per call.
Why the Calls Are Coming Now
Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7. During those weeks beneficiaries can switch Medicare Advantage plans, change drug coverage, or return to Original Medicare, and insurance agents have a strong financial reason to reach you before the window closes.1Federal Trade Commission. Avoid Scams During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period A smaller wave follows from January 1 through March 31, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, when people already in an Advantage plan can make one additional change.
Scammers time their campaigns to blend into that legitimate marketing push, counting on you to assume one more Medicare call is just another plan offer. Outside enrollment season the volume drops, but it never disappears.
Register on the National Do Not Call Registry
The Do Not Call Registry, run by the FTC, is the single step that reduces the most calls. Registration is free and permanent. Sign up at DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want on the list.2Federal Trade Commission. National Do Not Call Registry FAQs If you register online, click the confirmation link in your email within 72 hours or the registration won’t take effect.
Know what the registry does and doesn’t do. It tells law-abiding telemarketers not to call you, and most legitimate companies comply. It does not stop scammers, who ignore it, and it does not block political calls, charities, survey callers, or companies you already do business with.2Federal Trade Commission. National Do Not Call Registry FAQs After you’ve been registered for 31 days, any telemarketing call you get is a violation you can report.
There’s a separate rule worth knowing that works in your favor before you even register. Medicare Advantage and Part D plan representatives are prohibited by federal regulation (42 CFR 422.2264) from cold-calling, robocalling, or texting beneficiaries to market plans. A call from a plan is only allowed if you gave the agent permission or you started the conversation yourself, such as by filling out a card at a health fair or calling the plan’s toll-free line.3eCFR. 42 CFR 422.2264 – Beneficiary Contact If a Medicare plan agent calls you out of the blue, that call itself is a violation before you even get to the pitch.
Turn On Call Blocking Through Your Carrier
Your phone carrier almost certainly offers free or low-cost call-blocking and call-labeling. The FCC has authorized phone companies to block suspected illegal calls before they reach you, and many carriers can also filter numbers that aren’t in your contact list if you opt in.4Federal Communications Commission. Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts Call your carrier or check your account settings to see what’s available and turn it on. Third-party apps for smartphones can add another filtering layer.
The FCC also ruled in 2024 that robocalls using AI-generated voices are illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.5Federal Communications Commission. FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal If a caller sounds convincing but the pitch feels wrong, that’s reason enough to hang up.
Guard Your Phone Number
Every website, contest, and sign-up form that collects your phone number is a potential entry point onto a telemarketing list. Be selective about where you share it. And be aware that if a Medicare plan agent asks for your number during a legitimate enrollment conversation, giving it counts as permission to call you afterward. You can revoke that permission at any time by telling the agent or the plan directly that you don’t want to be contacted again.
Recognize the Calls You Should Never Engage With
The single most reliable rule: Medicare will never call you out of the blue to ask for personal information. If someone claims to be from Medicare and asks for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details, that call is a scam. Medicare only calls in narrow situations, like returning a call you placed or following up on a fraud report you filed.6Medicare. Reporting Medicare Fraud and Abuse Plan representatives, as noted above, cannot call you unless you gave permission or you’re already enrolled with them.7Medicare.gov. Marketing Rules for Health Plans
Common warning signs:
- Urgency or threats, such as being told you’ll lose coverage if you don’t hand over information right now.
- “Free” offers of genetic testing, back braces, or other medical equipment in exchange for your Medicare number. These exist to generate fraudulent billing.
- A claim that your Medicare card has expired and a fee is needed for a replacement. Replacement cards are always free.1Federal Trade Commission. Avoid Scams During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period
- A familiar-looking caller ID. Scammers can spoof any number, including local ones and government offices, so the display proves nothing.
Hang up. You don’t owe a caller a polite exit.
Report the Calls That Get Through
Reporting helps federal agencies build cases and shut down operations, and it feeds the data that carriers use to block future calls. Which agency you contact depends on the call.
For general telemarketing violations and unwanted sales calls, file a complaint at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.8Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov For a specific Do Not Call violation after you’ve been registered for at least 31 days, use DoNotCall.gov.9Federal Trade Commission. National Do Not Call Registry Include the number on caller ID, the date and time, and what the caller said.
For suspected Medicare fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, you can also reach the Investigations Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor at 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379).6Medicare. Reporting Medicare Fraud and Abuse The HHS Office of Inspector General takes broader fraud reports at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).10Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Reporting Fraud
The Senior Medicare Patrol program is worth knowing about. SMP is a nationwide network of trained volunteers who help Medicare beneficiaries detect and report healthcare fraud, resolve billing disputes, and refer cases to federal investigators, all free.11ACL Administration for Community Living. Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Find your local SMP through the Administration for Community Living.
You Can Sue Illegal Callers Yourself
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act lets individuals sue companies that make illegal robocalls or violate Do Not Call rules. Statutory damages are $500 per violation, and if a court finds the violation willful, that figure can be tripled to $1,500 per call.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 227 – Restrictions on Use of Telephone Equipment For someone getting dozens of calls, the numbers add up quickly.
This private right of action doesn’t depend on the FTC acting first. Small claims courts in many states handle TCPA cases, and the statutory damages apply whether or not you can show the call caused you financial harm. Start a log now: date, time, the number on caller ID, and what the caller said. That log is the foundation of any case you might bring.
If You Already Gave Out Your Medicare Number
If you shared your Medicare number with a caller you now suspect was a scammer, move fast. Damage from a stolen Medicare number shows up as fraudulent billing, and catching it early limits the harm.
- Review your Medicare Summary Notice for services, equipment, or prescriptions you didn’t get, double charges, or items neither you nor your doctor requested. Logging into your Medicare.gov account lets you monitor claims in real time instead of waiting for paper.13Federal Trade Commission. Medicare Fraud Prevention: What’s on Your Statement?
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report what happened and flag your account.6Medicare. Reporting Medicare Fraud and Abuse
- Request a replacement card through your my Social Security account online, by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, or by visiting a local Social Security office. The new card typically arrives within 30 days.14HHS.gov. How Do I Get a Replacement Medicare Card?
- If the scammer also got your Social Security number or bank information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to create a recovery plan and get an FTC Identity Theft Report. Consider placing a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus.15Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting
Fraudulent claims filed under your Medicare number can create a paper trail of medical services you never received, which can complicate future care and coverage decisions on top of the financial cost. That’s why the phone tree call to 1-800-MEDICARE matters even if no money has changed hands yet.