Scams explained
What is the new Medicare card scam?
A caller says Medicare is sending out new cards, often plastic or chip-enabled, and asks you to confirm your Medicare number, Social Security number or bank details so yours can be mailed. No card arrives. The number is used to bill Medicare in your name or for identity theft.
Drawn from 69 news stories in the Elderus archive. Last updated October 17, 2026.
If a message like this reached you, you were right to stop and look it up. These are professional operations, and they reach careful people every day.
What our news archive shows
69 news stories in the Elderus archive mention the Medicare card scam, the earliest from March 2024. Together they name 19 states. The places named most often: New York (12), Wisconsin (3), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (2) and Alabama (2).
Stories added each month in 2026
The busiest month so far this year was October 2026, with 4 stories.
What does the Medicare card scam look like?
- A call about a "new," "upgraded," plastic, metal or chip Medicare card.
- A warning that your coverage will lapse unless you verify your information.
- Offers of free medical equipment, genetic tests or other products "covered by Medicare."
- A caller who already knows some details about you.
How does the Medicare card scam work?
- The caller asks you to read out your Medicare number to "confirm" it.
- A Medicare number lets criminals bill Medicare for services and equipment you never received, which can affect your own benefits and records later.
- Some callers also ask for a Social Security number or bank account, which opens the door to identity theft.
How it has shown up in the news
Callers told New York seniors they needed to replace their Medicare card with a plastic or chip card, then asked for personal and medical details.
Read the story →People were promised a new chip-enabled card that never came; the point of the call was to collect their Medicare number.
Read the story →Callers offered free products that would be "billed to Medicare" through a third party.
Read the story →What should I do if I get one?
- Hang up. Medicare does not call to issue new cards, and Medicare cards do not expire.
- If you gave your Medicare number, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and read your Medicare Summary Notices for services you did not receive.
- If you gave a Social Security number or bank details, call your bank and visit IdentityTheft.gov.
Call the bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card. The sooner they hear, the more they can stop. Then report it. Step-by-step help if you were scammed →
Not sure whether a message is a scam? Paste it into the Scam Checker →
Who do I report it to?
Your state's Adult Protective Services and attorney general take reports too. Find the numbers for New York, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or any state.
Common questions
Is Medicare issuing new plastic or chip cards?
Reports in our archive, including warnings from New York's StateWide Senior Action Council, say Medicare does not issue new cards each year and is not replacing paper cards with plastic or chip versions.
Who can I safely give my Medicare number to?
Your doctors, pharmacy, insurer and others you choose to work with. Keep it from anyone who calls you first.
Sources
- "Medicare Card Scams: The MedicareFraudof the Month for December" - PR Newswire prnewswire.com · December 2025
- New York seniors warned of rising Medicare card scams cbs6albany.com · December 2025
- Medicare card scam is still running rampant: How to stay safe reviewjournal.com · December 2025
- Editor’s note: Apparently the “plastic Medicare card” scam is still victimizing Medicare beneficiaries. Toni has opted to answer a recent letter that is about the same scam a reader wrote her about in... tribdem.com · December 2025
- New Bern authorities warn of rise in fake Medicare and IRS scam calls - WCTI wcti12.com · July 2026
How we count
Elderus collects news reports about fraud against older adults every day. A story counts toward this page when its headline or summary describes the Medicare card scam. Copies of one story syndicated to several outlets count once, and stories that fail our quality checks (no usable summary, video transcripts, coverage outside the U.S.) are left out. States are the ones named in each story's headline and summary. Payment methods come from the stories with the scam in the headline. Monthly counts begin in January 2026 and use the date each story entered our archive. These figures describe news coverage. They do not measure how often the scam happens, since most scams are never reported in the news.