The Federal Trade Commission told Medicare and Marketplace shoppers to type Medicare.gov and HealthCare.gov directly into the browser instead of clicking the first search result, warning that paid ads and look-alike domains surge in the days before open enrollment begins on October 15.
What the scam looks like
Fraudsters buy keywords such as “Medicare enrollment” and “Part D 2027” so their links appear above the official site. Logos and color schemes imitate federal pages; phone numbers in the ad route to call centers that pitch limited-time “government plans” or ask for a Medicare number to “verify eligibility.” The FTC’s September consumer alert said consumers who follow those links may pay for discount cards that are not insurance, or hand over identifiers usable for bogus claims.
Medical identity theft is the longer tail: criminals bill Medicare for services never rendered, and beneficiaries discover the problem only when an explanation of benefits shows unfamiliar providers. Open enrollment pressure—compare plans, watch premium notices, answer family questions—makes rushed clicks more likely.
How to shop without the trap
On Google or Bing, scroll past entries marked “Ad” or “Sponsored.” Bookmark Medicare.gov/plan-compare after you confirm the URL bar shows the .gov domain. Medicare’s published calendar says October 1 is the day to review plan change notices from your current insurer; October 15 opens the window to join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage for 2027.
Free help exists offline: State Health Insurance Assistance Programs and Senior Medicare Patrol volunteers can walk through choices without selling a product. Medicare’s toll-free line is 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE); only share your Medicare number with clinicians and plans you chose after verifying them on the official site.
Impersonation beyond search ads
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reissued guidance this year on callers posing as federal agents or “fund recovery” specialists, a pattern that intersects with health scams when crooks claim they can restore stolen benefits for a fee. Separately, the FTC opened a comment period in early October on whether search and social platforms should bear more liability when ad tools amplify government impersonation—useful context, but not a fix before this enrollment season.
If someone contacts you unsolicited about Medicare “rebates,” “new ID cards,” or arrest warrants tied to benefits, treat it as fraud regardless of how official the badge looks on a video call.
Reporting and cleanup
Suspected marketing scams go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general. Suspected Medicare fraud goes through Medicare.gov’s fraud reporting tools or 1-800-MEDICARE. If you already gave a card number to a suspicious site, monitor MyMedicare.gov for new claims, consider a credit freeze if Social Security numbers were exposed, and document calls with times and callback numbers for investigators.
Five-day countdown
With open enrollment starting October 15, the FTC’s guidance is timed for the search spike, not for a distant policy debate. Sam Rivera’s desk files the action list as: type the .gov address, ignore sponsored links, use SHIP counselors for comparisons, and report impersonation before criminals file fake claims in your name during the busiest enrollment weeks of the year.
Employers with retiree populations should resend the same warning in internal mail—HR teams field Medicare questions every October, and one forwarded FTC link beats a roomful of employees clicking the first ad for “free Medicare upgrades.”
Platform ads and policy comments
The FTC’s October Federal Register notice asks whether search engines and social platforms should internalize the cost of optimizing ads that mimic government agencies. That proceeding will not produce rules before this enrollment window closes, but it explains why scam sites keep appearing at the top of results: ad auctions reward clicks, not accuracy. Until regulators shift incentives, consumer defense stays manual—bookmark the real .gov site and teach relatives the same habit.
Clipboard malware and stolen session tokens are a separate threat from fake Medicare pages; if you already logged into a fraudulent portal, change passwords on any account that shares that email and enable multifactor authentication on MyMedicare.gov after verifying you are on the authentic domain.