Medicare scam calls, texts and ads: What to watch for this Open Enrollment
ESET warns Medicare Open Enrollment scammers use calls, texts, and fake ads to steal personal and financial data.
ESET warns that Medicare Open Enrollment, from October 15 to December 7, is being used as cover for calls, texts, emails, social messages, and lookalike ads impersonating insurers or Medicare. Scammers use urgency around the December 7 deadline to collect Medicare numbers, Social Security numbers, health records, and banking details for identity fraud, false claims, or commission schemes. In September 2026, FinCEN identified about $17.5 billion in suspicious activity that may be linked to healthcare fraud. ESET advises ignoring unsolicited pressure, avoiding ad clicks, and verifying contacts only through Medicare.gov or other independently sourced numbers.
- Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, giving scammers a deadline pretext.
- Contact arrives by phone, text, email, social media, and fake Google ads.
- Targets include Medicare and Social Security numbers, health data, and bank details.
- FinCEN tied about $17.5 billion in suspicious activity to healthcare fraud in September 2026.
- ATT&CK
- T1566.002 Spearphishing LinkT1566.003 Spearphishing via ServiceT1566.004 Spearphishing VoiceT1656 Impersonation
- Organizations
- FinCENCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
7 min read at welivesecurity.com
Open Enrollment is peak season for Medicare fraud – here’s how to tell real outreach from fakes and keep your details safe
welivesecurity.com
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