Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a consumer alert Tuesday warning senior residents to be on guard against phone scammers posing as Medicare representatives. The June 10 alert came in response to a wave of complaints received by the office’s Consumer Protection Division.

How the Scam Works

Callers typically tell victims that their Medicare cards have expired, gone missing, or need to be verified, then request sensitive personal data including Medicare identification numbers, Social Security numbers, or dates of birth. To appear credible, the fraudsters often manipulate caller ID technology to display local phone numbers.

Once they obtain that information, criminals use it to submit fraudulent Medicare billing claims for medical services and supplies that were never actually provided to the victim.

What Medicare Will and Won’t Do

Labrador’s office outlined several clear rules about how Medicare actually communicates with beneficiaries. The program will never initiate an unsolicited phone call to ask for personal information, and it will never charge a fee for issuing a replacement card. Official correspondence from Medicare arrives by U.S. mail — not over the phone.

The attorney general’s office also noted that Medicare will never request payment in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or cash — a common red flag associated with fraud schemes broadly.

What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious Call

Labrador urged Idahoans who receive suspicious Medicare-related calls to end the conversation immediately. “No one from Medicare will ever call you to ask for your number,” he said. “Hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE directly, report it at ReportScamsIdaho.com or contact local law enforcement.”

Residents can also verify the legitimacy of any Medicare-related contact by calling 1-800-MEDICARE directly before providing any personal information.

Broader Consumer Protection Efforts

The alert is part of ongoing consumer protection work by Labrador’s office. Labrador has also been active at the national level, joining multistate coalitions on issues ranging from labor practices to federal regulatory matters.

Idaho seniors are considered a particularly high-value target for this type of scheme because of their regular interaction with Medicare and their tendency to trust callers who identify themselves as government representatives. Residents who believe they have been targeted are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general’s office through ReportScamsIdaho.com or to reach out to local law enforcement.

Labrador serves as Idaho’s 33rd attorney general.