Social Security and Medicare Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Your Benefits

The phone rings. The caller ID says "SSA" or "U.S. Government." A stern voice informs you that your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity, and you could face arrest unless you verify your identity immediately.

You feel a wave of panic. You didn't do anything wrong. Why would your Social Security be suspended? What if your benefits stop? What if you actually do get arrested?

That panic is the scam. Everything about that call is fake — the caller ID, the "suspended number," the arrest threat. But millions of Americans fall for it every year because Social Security and Medicare sit at the intersection of two powerful emotions: fear of losing vital benefits, and fear of the federal government.

In 2025, the FTC tracked over $126 million in losses from Social Security impersonation scams alone. Medicare scams add hundreds of millions more. And these are only the reported cases — most victims never come forward.

Here's everything you need to know to protect yourself and the people you love.

How the Real Agencies Actually Contact You

Understanding how the Social Security Administration and Medicare actually operate is the single best defense against impersonation scams. Because once you know what's real, the fake stuff is easy to spot.

The Social Security Administration will:

Send letters by U.S. mail for most business
Call only if you have an active case or request with them (for example, an application you submitted)
Use your personal "my Social Security" account for secure messages
Give you time to consider any decision

The Social Security Administration will NEVER:

Call you out of the blue about your number being "suspended" — Social Security numbers are not suspended
Threaten arrest, deportation, or legal action if you don't pay or provide information
Demand immediate payment of any kind
Ask you to pay with gift cards, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash
Demand your full Social Security number over the phone (they already have it)
Email or text you asking for personal information
Transfer you to "law enforcement" or a "federal agent"

Medicare will:

Send official notices by U.S. mail
Contact you only about benefits you've already applied for
Provide information through Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE

Medicare will NEVER:

Call you to "issue a new card" and ask for personal information
Call about "free" medical equipment, genetic tests, or back braces
Ask for your Medicare number, bank account, or Social Security number over the phone
Send anyone to your door to collect information or payments
Charge for new Medicare cards

If any call, text, or email contradicts the rules above, it's a scam. Period.

The Seven Most Common Variants

1. "Your Social Security number has been suspended"

This is the most common Social Security scam. A recorded voice or live caller claims your number is suspended due to suspicious activity, identity theft, or involvement in a crime. They demand you "verify" your information or face arrest.

Reality: Social Security numbers cannot be suspended. They are assigned for life. The suspension itself is impossible.

2. "A new Medicare card is available"

A caller claims Medicare is issuing new cards and needs to verify your information to send yours. They ask for your Medicare number, date of birth, and often your Social Security number and bank account.

Reality: When Medicare issues new cards, they mail them automatically. You do not need to request or verify anything. They do not call about it.

3. "Your benefits will be cut off"

A caller claims there's a problem with your file and your benefits will stop at the end of the month unless you confirm your identity right now.

Reality: If there's a real problem with your benefits, you'll receive a letter in the mail with a case number and a callback number that matches the one on SSA.gov.

4. "You qualify for a free back brace / knee brace / genetic test"

A caller offers free medical equipment or medical testing, says Medicare will cover it, and just needs your Medicare number. What they're really doing is billing Medicare fraudulently — which can trigger audits and payment problems for you later.

Reality: Medicare does not randomly call to offer free products or tests. If you need medical equipment, your doctor prescribes it and a real supplier handles the paperwork.

5. "You're owed a refund"

A caller says you overpaid into Social Security or Medicare and you're owed money. They just need your bank information to deposit the refund.

Reality: Real refunds are sent by mail as checks or by direct deposit to the account they already have on file. They do not require you to "verify" banking information over the phone.

6. "Your identity has been stolen — we need to verify everything"

A caller claims someone has been using your Social Security number fraudulently. They'll walk you through a series of questions to "protect" your identity — while actually collecting every piece of information they need to steal your identity for real.

Reality: The Social Security Administration does not conduct identity verification by cold-calling you. If they suspect fraud on your account, they send a letter.

7. "There's a warrant for your arrest"

The most aggressive variant. A caller claims to be from the FBI, DEA, or SSA Office of the Inspector General. They say a warrant has been issued, often connected to a rental car found at the border with drugs or money linked to your SSN. They tell you that you can avoid arrest by paying a fine — often in gift cards.

Reality: No law enforcement agency demands gift cards, ever, under any circumstances. There is no such thing as resolving a warrant over the phone with iTunes cards.

How Scammers Make It Look Real

Scammers invest serious effort in making these calls convincing:

Caller ID spoofing. The real Social Security Administration phone number is 1-800-772-1213. Scammers spoof this exact number on caller ID, so the call looks legitimate even to sophisticated victims. Caller ID cannot be trusted for verification.

Realistic hold music and phone trees. Some scam calls begin with a "press 1 for benefits" menu that sounds exactly like a real government phone tree. The entire thing is theater.

Personal information. Scammers buy data from prior breaches. They may already know your name, address, partial Social Security number, and date of birth before they call. Them knowing a few details does not prove legitimacy — it proves they did their homework.

Threat escalation. If you hesitate, the caller becomes more aggressive. They may threaten immediate arrest, claim they're transferring you to law enforcement, or say police are on their way. This manufactured panic is designed to bypass your rational thinking.

Real-sounding badge numbers and case numbers. A scammer will rattle off a badge number, a case number, an employee ID, and an investigator's name to make the call sound official. None of it is verifiable.

What to Do When You Get a Suspicious Call

Hang up immediately. You do not owe a scammer a polite goodbye. You do not need to explain why you're ending the call. You do not need to justify anything. Just hang up.

Do not press buttons, speak back, or press 1. Even saying "no" or pressing a button to "remove yourself from the list" confirms your number is active and lets scammers target you more.

Do not call back any number the scammer provided. Any number they give you goes to another scammer, not the real agency.

If you're worried it might be real, verify independently. Look up the real number yourself and call it. The real numbers are:

Social Security: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Report it. Filing reports helps agencies track scam campaigns and warn others:

Social Security Office of the Inspector General: oig.ssa.gov
FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov
FBI IC3: ic3.gov

What to Do if You Already Gave Out Information

If you already gave a scammer your Social Security number, bank information, or Medicare number, act fast:

1. Contact your bank or credit union immediately. Freeze accounts, reverse recent transactions if possible, and change online banking credentials.

2. Place a fraud alert on your credit. Call one of the three credit bureaus and they'll notify the others:

Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872

3. Consider a credit freeze. A freeze prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. You can freeze and unfreeze for free.

4. Report to the Social Security Administration. Call 1-800-269-0271 or visit oig.ssa.gov to report that your number may have been compromised.

5. File an identity theft report at identitytheft.gov. This creates an official record and generates a recovery plan.

6. Monitor Medicare claims. If you gave out a Medicare number, log in to mymedicare.gov regularly and watch for any charges or services you didn't receive.

7. Keep records of everything. Save screenshots, transaction histories, and notes about every call or message you received. You may need them for disputes or investigations.

Help Your Parents and Grandparents Set Up Defenses

If you have older relatives, have this conversation with them before a scammer does:

Tell them: the SSA and Medicare will never call out of the blue. Drill this into the conversation. Any unexpected call claiming to be from either agency is a scam by default.

Give them permission to hang up. A lot of older adults feel rude hanging up on someone. Explicitly tell them it's okay — it's expected, it's safe, and it's the right thing to do.

Tell them to call you first. Before making any decision, sending any money, or giving any information, tell them to pause and call you. You can verify together.

Set up a family safe word. If a scammer calls claiming to be a grandchild in trouble, a family safe word stops the scam cold. Read our guide on setting one up.

Put the real numbers on their fridge. Print out the real Social Security and Medicare phone numbers and tape them to the refrigerator. That way, if a suspicious call comes in, they have a verified number to call back.

Bottom Line

Social Security and Medicare are two of the most powerful levers scammers can pull, because they target something most Americans depend on to survive. The good news is that the scams all share the same tells: unexpected contact, urgency, threats, and demands for immediate action or payment.

Real government agencies are slow, boring, and paper-heavy. They send letters. They give you weeks to respond. They do not threaten arrest. They do not ask for gift cards. If someone contacts you and contradicts any of that, you already know everything you need to know: it's a scam, and you can hang up with complete confidence.

Share this guide with the older adults in your life. The conversation you have today could save them from losing everything next month.

Check any suspicious text, call, or link at ScamSecurityCheck.com

Social Security and Medicare Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Your Benefits