Scammers calling about “new plastic Medicare cards,” “card upgrades,” “chip-enabled cards,” or “Inflation Reduction Act verification.” None of those things exist. The real Medicare card is and always has been paper. Government impersonation complaints to the FTC rose 25% in 2025, with SSA and Medicare the most-impersonated agencies.
How This Scam Works
Real Medicare cards are paper. They are free. They are mailed automatically by the federal government. You never have to call to “activate” one, “verify” one, “upgrade” one, or pay for one. There is no plastic card, no chip card, no metal card. That fact alone defeats every Medicare card scam.
Scammers call, text, or mail older adults claiming Medicare is issuing new cards with new security features, plastic cards, chip cards, or “updated identifiers.” They tell you that you need to “verify your Medicare number” before your new card can be mailed, that there is a small “processing fee” or “shipping charge,” or that your benefits will be cancelled if you do not act today.
Once they have your Medicare number, they bill Medicare for fake services in your name — durable medical equipment, fake genetic testing, fake home health services. The Administration for Community Living estimates Medicare fraud costs $60 billion every year. Some victims do not discover the fraud for months, when they receive an Explanation of Benefits showing services they never received.
What They Actually Say
A Real Maryland Story
Documented in AARP Fraud Watch Network reporting
A Medicare beneficiary received a call from a scammer offering to send her a new chip-based card. She gave him her Medicare number. Her sister, who works with a community health center, became suspicious when she learned the scammer had asked about the woman’s height, weight, and pants size — questions designed to bill Medicare for unneeded durable medical equipment in her name. CMS confirmed the scam. The Medicare number had to be replaced.
What To Do · What To Never Do
After You Hang Up
This guide covers one of 222 documented scams targeting Maryland’s older adults. Every variant we track lives in the encyclopedia, searchable by name, situation, or what they said to you.
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