4. The New Medicare Card Hustle

Because Medicare and Social Security are deeply intertwined—with Medicare premiums automatically deducted from Social Security checks—scammers frequently blend the two programs into one seamless deception.

How the Scam Works

A caller contacts you claiming to represent Medicare or Social Security. They inform you that the government is issuing new, mandatory cards—often describing them as “chip-enabled plastic cards” designed to replace your current paper card. They warn that your healthcare coverage and retirement benefits will be canceled if you do not upgrade immediately.

To process your new card, the caller demands your current Medicare number, your Social Security number, and a processing fee. By surrendering this information, you open the door to both medical identity theft and financial fraud.

How to Protect Yourself

The government does not charge fees for replacing official cards. Furthermore, there is no mandatory rollout of “chip-enabled” cards. If official cards ever need to be reissued en masse—as they were several years ago to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards—the government simply mails them to your address on file automatically. No verification call or fee is ever required. You can always verify current health program rules through official channels like Medicare.gov.