Know the Signs of Medicare Open Enrollment Scams
The Medicare open enrollment period is your opportunity to adjust your Medicare enrollments, with the help of a genuine Medicare insurance agent. Unfortunately, the enrollment period is also extremely popular with scammers. Fake agents try to take advantage of people’s confusion regarding Medicare, as a way to get vital information about them or trick them into paying for services they will never receive.
If you or someone you love are eligible for Medicare, it’s important to know how to distinguish a genuine Medicare insurance agent from all the fraudsters. These are some of the biggest red flags.
Four Big Signs of a Medicare Open Enrollment Scam
- Cold calling
A reputable Medicare provider is not going to start random calling up people (“cold calling”) trying to make sales. The only time they would contact you is if they already had a business relationship with you. So, if you don’t recognize the name of the company the person claims to represent, they probably are not legit.
- They claim to represent Medicare or the Government itself
The government does not provide Medicare plans directly to the public – they’re always arranged through a third party, like a genuine Medicare insurance agent. Likewise, they would never call a member of the public directly. If you get a call from someone who claims to be from Medicare itself, do not engage with them. They are undoubtedly a scammer.
- They ask for personal numbers
There is a time and place to provide information such as your social security number when signing up for Medicare, and that’s when you’re filling out the official paperwork. A reputable Medicare provider would never ask for your social security number or other private information over the phone. If they’re trying to get your SSN, your birthdate, your bank account number, or other personal details, it’s a telephone scam.
- They use high-pressure tactics
A qualified Medicare insurance agent is not going to try to use scare tactics to get you to sign up. They won’t threaten to take away your Medicare or make similar threats. Any sort of hostile or high-pressure tactic is another major sign of a scam.
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