Medicare 2026

Miramar Medicare open enrollment: the scam scripts to hang up on before Dec. 7

MIRAMAR, Fla. — With the Oct. 15–Dec. 7 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period underway, phones across Broward County are lighting up. Some of those calls are legitimate. Many are not. Federal fraud investigators and Florida's Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) say enrollment season is when scammers work hardest, because people expect Medicare-related contact this time of year and are more likely to answer.

Medicare 2027Miramar, FL

Here is what Miramar residents should watch for over the next several weeks, and how to shut a scam down before it costs you money — or your Medicare number.

Why enrollment season is prime time for scams

From mid-October through early December, ads for Medicare plans are everywhere, and people are actively comparing options. Scammers know that. They pretend to be from "Medicare," "the Medicare office," or a well-known insurer, hoping you will assume the call is routine.

In Broward County — which sets the plan menu for Miramar — dozens of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are offered by multiple carriers each year. That variety is real, and so is the marketing noise around it. Fraud rings use that noise as cover.

The scam scripts to recognize

Most enrollment-season scams follow a small number of patterns. If a call, text, or knock at your door matches one of these, treat it as fraud until proven otherwise.

"We need to verify your Medicare number for your new card." Medicare is not issuing new cards this year. Anyone asking you to "confirm" or "activate" a number is fishing.

"You qualify for extra benefits — groceries, gas, cash back — but I need your info to check." Real agents cannot legally cold-call you. And no one can confirm eligibility for anything without you first choosing to share information.

"Press 1 to keep your current plan." Medicare and legitimate plans do not use robocalls to manage your enrollment.

"I'm at your door to help with your Medicare paperwork." Federal marketing rules prohibit unsolicited door-to-door sales for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.

"Your Medicare account has been flagged — pay now with a gift card." No government agency accepts gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Ever.

What Medicare will and won't do

Medicare will send letters. It will update your account when you log in at medicare.gov. It will answer when you call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Medicare will not:

• Call you out of the blue to sell a plan.
• Ask you to confirm your Medicare number to keep your coverage active.
• Threaten to cancel your benefits if you don't pay a fee.
• Send someone to your home unannounced.

If you didn't start the contact, be skeptical — even if the caller ID looks official. Spoofing a local number is trivial.

Simple habits that stop most fraud

A few small routines protect you far better than any single tip.

• Treat your Medicare number like a credit card. Only share it with your doctor, your pharmacist, your plan (when you contacted them), or 1-800-MEDICARE.
• Hang up and call back. If someone claims to be from Medicare or your plan, end the call and dial the number on your Medicare card or plan paperwork.
• Read your Medicare Summary Notice or plan statement. Charges for services you never received are a top sign of billing fraud.
• Don't sign blank forms. And don't let anyone fill out an enrollment application "for you" without seeing it.
• Bring a second set of eyes. A family member, neighbor, or SHIP counselor can catch pressure tactics you might miss.

Real 2027 facts scammers twist

Fraudsters often mix in real Medicare news to sound credible. Here is what is actually true, straight from the program:

• Part D has an out-of-pocket cap on covered prescriptions of $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D deductible maximum is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts, at no extra charge. You have to opt in; no one needs your bank login to sign you up.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income enrollees start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

If a caller says you owe money because of any of these changes, that's a lie.

Where Miramar residents can get real help

• Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or medicare.gov
• Florida SHINE (the state's SHIP program) offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling: 1-800-963-5337
• Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) of Florida: 1-866-357-6677 — to report suspected fraud
• Federal Trade Commission: reportfraud.ftc.gov

Reporting matters even if you didn't lose money. Patterns from a single Miramar call can help investigators shut down a scam operation affecting the whole state.