Michigan’s insurance regulator and health department are warning older adults that Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, is a busy season for scammers. The warning names unsolicited phone calls and mailers that look like government communications, including a postcard claiming to be from Medicare. Both are described as scams.
The advice came in a joint release dated Oct. 12 from the Department of Insurance and Financial Services and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
What the two Michigan agencies are saying
DIFS Director Anita Fox says open enrollment opens the door for bad actors who may try to steal personal information or money. MDHHS Acting Director Amy Epkey points to certified counselors who offer free counseling to people comparing plans. The release is aimed squarely at people on Medicare, and at the relatives who help them sort through mail and phone calls.
The release also reminds readers why the season feels confusing. Part B premiums have increased and base Part D premiums have risen, the first round of negotiated prices covers several high-cost medications, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan now renews automatically each year unless the enrollee opts out, and Medicare Advantage in-network out-of-pocket maximums will go down slightly. Scammers lean on that kind of change, because a caller who sounds informed can sound official.
The central rule is short. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will never call or send someone to a person’s home, according to the release. An unsolicited call or home visit that asks for personal information or a Medicare number is a scam, and so is a postcard that claims to be from Medicare or authorized by it.
That leaves a plain question for anyone on Medicare in Michigan: what do they do when the phone rings or a postcard arrives this month? The answer in the release is to hang up, keep the Medicare number private, and call 1-800-MEDICARE to check. A Medicare number is only needed when enrolling in a plan.
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The red flags Michigan lists
- Caller ID cannot be trusted, so hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to verify.
- Anyone who says a person must join Part D or lose Medicare coverage is wrong, because Part D is voluntary.
- Agents and brokers cannot say they are from Medicare, that their plans are Medicare-approved or endorsed, or that a government agency asked them to call.
- Mail that looks like a government notice may come from a private company, with the disclaimers in small print.
The release also lists local help. MI Options answers at 800-803-7174, and the Michigan Senior Medicare Patrol is at 844-677-6424. DIFS takes complaints at 877-999-6442, and the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team at 517-335-7599.
Fake websites, paid ads and false deadlines
Scam calls are only one route. The Federal Trade Commission warned in late September that bad actors often use web addresses that look similar to government site addresses, and that scammers and dishonest businesses sometimes pay to appear at the top of search results. The FTC’s alert advises looking for the .gov ending and for “Ad” or “Sponsored” labels, and points to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs and the Senior Medicare Patrol for free help.
Other states are sounding the same alarm. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in an Oct. 15 release that Medicare will not start a call or text message chain, and that a caller who invents a deadline earlier than Dec. 7 is running a scam. The Iowa warning also lists a new-card story, in which a caller offers to confirm a number before a replacement card is sent.
Those tactics fit the Michigan warning, and they work best on people who are rushed. A real plan change can wait until a person has looked up the plan on their own, and the true open enrollment window runs more than seven weeks, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, so there is no reason to decide on a caller’s schedule.
Where to report a scam and get real answers
Medicare.gov says Medicare will never call to sell anything or visit a home. Its fraud-reporting page gives 1-800-MEDICARE as the number for suspected fraud, and an online route through the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office. Medicare Advantage and drug plan problems go to a separate contractor at 1-877-772-3379.
For plain questions, Medicare’s contact page lists the same 1-800-MEDICARE line, with phone and chat available around the clock every day except some federal holidays. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Medicare.gov also suggests comparing the dates and services on a personal calendar with the Medicare statements that arrive, and says a secure Medicare.gov account shows Original Medicare claims soon after they are processed. That gives a relative helping with the mail a quick way to spot a service that never happened.
The same page says to share a Medicare card or number only with doctors, insurers acting on the person’s behalf, and State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselors. A caller, a door-knocker or a postcard sender is on none of those lists.
Anyone who already gave a Medicare number, a Social Security number or bank details to a caller should report it right away and watch the next statements closely.
Gave a Medicare or Social Security number to a caller this month?
Spotting the call is half the job. Michigan’s warning covers how to hang up, but a person who already read out a Medicare number, a Social Security number or a bank detail is holding a different problem, and the first days matter most.
The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit includes the credit-freeze steps, a first-hour recovery plan and a fraud evidence and report log. Its Part 4 covers locking down what is left, so a number given to the wrong caller does not turn into a new account in someone’s name.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
