Medicare 2026

Before You Answer That Medicare Call, Read This

FLORENCE, S.C. — The phone rings during dinner. A friendly voice says they're "calling about your Medicare benefits" and just need to "verify your number" before your new card ships. It sounds routine. It isn't.

Every fall, as the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, scam calls, texts, and door-knocks surge across the Pee Dee region. Fraudsters know seniors are expecting to hear from insurers and government programs this time of year — and they use that cover to grab Medicare numbers, bank details, and enrollment signatures. Here's how to recognize the pitch and shut it down.

Why enrollment season is prime time for scams

Between mid-October and early December, TV ads, mailers, and legitimate outreach flood mailboxes and airwaves. Scammers hide inside that noise. They know you may be waiting on a plan comparison, a new Part D drug list, or the 2027 changes — including the Part D out-of-pocket cap, which is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the Part D maximum deductible, which is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Any of those can be used as bait.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), a federally funded fraud-prevention program, reports that Medicare-related scams spike sharply during AEP each year. Losses are real: stolen Medicare numbers can be used to bill for equipment, tests, or services you never received, which can quietly drain benefits you actually need later.

The scam pitches you're most likely to hear in Florence

Watch for these approaches. If any sound familiar, hang up:

• "We need to verify your Medicare number for your new card." Medicare is not sending a new card. Anyone who says otherwise is fishing.
• "You qualify for a free brace, DNA test, or diabetic supply." These "free" offers usually end with a request for your Medicare number so the caller can bill Medicare fraudulently.
• "Press 1 to keep your benefits." Robocalls threatening loss of coverage are a scam. Your Original Medicare doesn't disappear if you ignore a phone tree.
• Door-to-door "plan advisors." Licensed agents are not allowed to show up uninvited to sell Medicare Advantage or Part D plans. That's a CMS rule, not a suggestion.
• Texts with a link to "confirm enrollment." Medicare does not enroll you by text.

How Medicare actually contacts you

Medicare communicates mostly by mail. You may get a "Medicare & You" handbook each fall, an Annual Notice of Change from a plan you're already in, and Explanations of Benefits after care. Medicare will call only in limited situations — usually if you called them first, or if you're already working with a caseworker.

Medicare will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account, or credit card to "keep" your coverage. And no legitimate agent can call, text, email, or knock on your door without your permission first.

Five habits that shut scammers down

1. Treat your Medicare number like a credit card. Only share it with your doctor, pharmacist, or someone you called directly. 2. Don't answer unknown numbers during AEP. If it matters, they'll leave a voicemail — and you can verify before calling back. 3. Check your Medicare Summary Notice or online account at Medicare.gov for charges you don't recognize. 4. Write down the date, name, and number of any suspicious contact. SMP can investigate patterns. 5. Talk to a free, unbiased counselor before making enrollment decisions — see the next section.

Where to get real help in Florence

Florence is in Florence County, where residents have several no-cost options for trustworthy guidance during AEP:

• South Carolina SHIP (called SC Thrive/GetCoveredSC) offers free one-on-one Medicare counseling. Reach them at 1-800-868-9095.
• Senior Medicare Patrol of South Carolina takes fraud reports at the same number, 1-800-868-9095.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is staffed 24/7.
• Medicare.gov lets you compare every Advantage and Part D plan available in Florence County using your actual prescriptions and doctors.

None of these charge a fee, and none work on commission.