If your mailbox is overflowing with glossy letters and your television is flooded with loud commercials promising "free money" or "flex cards with thousands of dollars," you are not alone.

The open enrollment season brings out intense marketing campaigns. While some are legitimate advertising, many are predatory scams designed to trick you into switching your healthcare plan over the phone.

At Douglas Insurance Group, we want to make sure you have the tools to protect your identity, your money, and your doctor relationships. Here are the most common red flags to look out for.

3 Major Red Flags to Watch For

1. The "Flex Card" Illusion: TV commercials often feature celebrity spokespeople claiming you can get a pre-loaded card worth thousands of dollars for groceries and utilities. In reality, these benefits are highly restrictive, only available on specific plans in certain zip codes, and usually require you to qualify for Medicaid.

2. High-Pressure Call Centers: If someone calls you out of the blue claiming to be from "the Medicare Bureau" or "the Government," hang up. Medicare will never call you unprompted to ask for your Social Security number or Medicare ID number.

3. "All Your Doctors Are Covered" Promises: National 1-800 number operators often tell seniors that their preferred doctors are in-network just to close a sale. Once the plan starts in January, seniors frequently discover their trusted local doctors are actually out-of-network.

How to Protect Your Benefits

• Never Give Out Your Medicare Number: Treat your Medicare ID card just like a credit card. Never read the number aloud to an unverified caller.

• Work with a Trusted Local Agent: National call centers care about quotas. A local, independent agency like Douglas Insurance Group lives and works in your community. We know local hospital networks, local doctor groups, and can look at your exact plan side-by-side with you.

• Report Fraud: If you suspect someone has fraudulently changed your plan without your explicit signature, you can report it directly to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.