Insureous gets these calls all too often. They come from a client who we helped find an individual plan on the Marketplace, or a senior on a Medicare plan. You can hear the anxiety in their voice as they relay that the plan they thought they had enrolled in didn’t provide the coverage they signed up for or were switched to something worse than they had. They are confused how this happened.

They’ve been scammed. Somehow, and they often don’t remember how or when, they took a call from someone posing as their health insurance agent, or someone representing the carrier, and they wind up switching their plan and agent. The sad fact is that we can’t even help them until they request that we be reinstated as their agent of record again.

You’ve probably gotten a spam call or two (or more if we’re being honest!) within your lifetime. Between bad actors in the Marketplace switching consumers from plan to plan and the rise of AI assisted attacks, you are at risk of having your coverage compromised any time you pick up the phone. Educating yourself about these risks could save you from having your coverage switched after what seems like an innocent phone call.

Always beware of the following:

• Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls from anyone asking about your coverage or other related information or offering to do a complimentary coverage check.
• Do not provide personal information, including birthdates, unless they are certain of a person’s authority to have the information.
• Scammers frequently use AI to get information from those they call by using voice cloning programs. These calls will sound exactly like they’re coming from someone they trust. If you ever get a strange call that sounds like it’s from someone you know, hang up and call the person at a number you know is theirs.
• If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an unknown caller, reach out directly to your agent to verify. Insureous can easily and quickly confirm whether the call is legitimate or not.
• If by accident you respond to one of these calls and provide information, let us know as soon as possible so we can look for any changes to your policy or agent of record (AOR).
• Finally, check this resource for more good information on protecting yourself from Marketplace fraud and scams.