--- title: Healthcare Phone Scam Alert | Hiya description: Millions of healthcare scam calls target consumers each year. Learn how these scams work, when spikes occur, and how to protect yourself. image: https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog%20Image%20template.png --- [![Hiya logo](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) Solutions Solutions [For Mobile Operators Protect your network](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) [For Businesses Brand your calls](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) [For People Get the mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### Webinar Branded Calling 101 Weekly Webinar Make your company's calls more recognizable. Learn how Hiya can drive value for your business. [Sign up today Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/lp/webinar-series-intro-to-hiya-branded-call) Products Connect ###### [Branded Call Display your branded caller ID](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) ###### [Number Registration Display your branded caller ID](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ###### [View Plans Flexible pricing for teams of all sizes](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) Protect ###### [Spam Analytics Stop spam & fraud on your mobile network](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) ###### [AI Voice Detection Real-time AI voice detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) Mobile apps ###### [Hiya Spam Blocker Fraud & AI voice protection](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### [Hiya AI Phone Productivity for busy people](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/sotc-report.avif) ###### Report State of the Call 2026 86% of unidentified calls go unanswered. Read the benchmark report for what is happening in voice today, and what you can do to drive business. [Read the report Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/state-of-the-call) Why Hiya? Overview [Why Hiya Your voice innovation partner](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) [How it works Get started quickly & easily](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) [Customer Stories Real companies, real results](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) [Voice Intelligence Platform Industry’s leading voice platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) [Trust Center Compliance, security, & privacy](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) Company [About Leadership and history](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) [Careers We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) [Contact us Get in touch](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/bclc-hero-img.webp) ###### Customer Story BCLC increases business KPIs with Hiya With Hiya Branded Call BCLC was able to increase contact rates, campaign efficiency, and revenue. [Read their story Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/customer-stories/bclc) Resources Resources [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) [Hiya Blog](https://blog.hiya.com/) [Newsroom](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom) [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) ###### eBook 10 Tips for customer-friendly phone calls Prevent caller reputation issues and complaints with customer-friendly calling practices. [Read eBook Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/resources/ebooks/10-tips-for-customer-friendly-phone-calls) [Get Started Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) [Log in](https://connect.hiya.com/login) [Get started](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) - [Home](https://hiya.com) - [Blog](https://blog.hiya.com) - [Scam of the Month: The healthcare scam](https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-healthcare-scam) [Scam of the Month](https://blog.hiya.com/tag/scam-of-the-month) [Scam Trends](https://blog.hiya.com/tag/scam-trends) [Spam & Fraud Protection](https://blog.hiya.com/tag/spam-fraud-protection) # Scam of the Month: The healthcare scam [Hiya Team](https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team) Sep. 29, 2022 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-fb.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-healthcare-scam) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-x.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-healthcare-scam&text=Scam+of+the+Month%3A+The+healthcare+scam) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-healthcare-scam) ## At a glance ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog%20Image%20template.png) The patient enters the examination room concerned with what they think may be an infection.  *"A recorded message just offered to sell me health insurance”.* This simple phrase, captured by The Hiya Honeypot, encompasses the entire diagnosis: the voice channel is sick with scammers and spammers. Carriers need a way to protect their network from this pervasive (and harmful) ruse. Before applying the proper treatment it is important to learn the symptoms and prevalence of the healthcare scam. ##### Potential Calls During the summer of 2022, about 11.3M potential healthcare scam calls were made. The biggest spikes seen over this season were seen over July with a rising trend towards September. The biggest spike overall (over the last two years) was seen in March of 2022 which corresponds with the [CDC-reported](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2022-2023.htm) flu season months. As seen in the graph below - comparing consistency in spikes seen over two seasons spanning 40 years apart -  December through March sees the most flu activity. ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m-7n9heQrL83CDIhHLgLPZE0e9KXg8XkIsqb3AzdvYZDql48IpUsDDafNOzYAtFnP7D_IKGmF3alTo8QlnioqA1awaX-VA0LouUbqk0Sz1F00IsyepgmJEEFSjgY9Y8uwp-efPjxtThmqTQEd0O97SV1MYZ_q-ecGvoLnPTR1A-1yJymFcLkJghiYw) Fraudsters are also aware of these trends and plan their scams accordingly; more people (in cold and seasonal climates) get sick during winter. People are often seeing their doctors at a higher rate and expecting calls or check-ins from their healthcare providers. ##### Varieties The voice channel faces three main types of healthcare scams with varying targets; general healthcare, health insurance, and senior benefits/medicare scams all have their own approach and targets. ##### General healthcare This type of scam concerns calls about general practitioners, checkups/missed appointments, and anything else shared in confidence. Scammers use the sensitive nature of your personal medical information to try and manipulate you into trusting them. Through this trust, they can ascertain enough information from the end user to cause irreparable damage. ##### Health insurance Scam calls about healthcare coverage saw a huge spike towards the beginning of the pandemic (winter 2019). The sharp rise in sickness across the country coupled with general uncertainty caused many to worry about their insurance. Scammers are aware of the medical insecurity of the time and prey upon those looking for benefits. Beware as bad actors will typically ask one, if not all, of three things: - Do you need insurance? - Is your subscription running out? - Can you provide more information? ##### Medicare Calls concerning senior benefits rose to popularity over the pandemic (peaking in winter 2021). They may call for your social security information claiming that your benefits are about to run out. Scammers will do the best they can to gather any other personal, medical, or financial information; beware as scammers will go so far as to tempt you with additional benefits that may or may not exist. “I’ve gotten several calls a day, telling me I could become ineligible for my Medicare plan. They said I need to talk to an agent and take of this ASAP. I’ve gotten nothing in the mail regarding this matter so I’m not going to call them back.” Smart move. ##### Pick-up rate When looking at the over 11.3M calls that Hiya captured with a distinct connection to healthcare we noticed that the spikes were seen at the beginning and the end of the summer months (July and September).  Considering a base of all US incoming calls, spikes of over .4% were seen in pickup rates; this means that over 44,000 healthcare spam calls were answered in peak months during 2022. ##### Call duration A surprising number of calls, regardless of their success, maintained a significant call duration. Attempted/unsuccessful calls maintained a call duration of about 1 minute; successfully answered calls and saw peaks of over 2 minutes.  In some cases (as seen in June 2022) call durations reached over 3 minutes. A long call could indicate a successful scam where an innocent subscriber fell victim to a seemingly trustworthy agent. ##### How to fight back against scam calls While these scam techniques can prove to be highly effective, Hiya offers a variety of solutions to fight back. Carriers can protect their customers from phone scams by adding [Hiya Protect](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect), which blocks or labels spam and scam calls with high accuracy, without blocking essential calls. It is used by carriers, mobile phone manufacturers, and network providers looking to create a differentiated voice offering and increase customer satisfaction. Not only does it block or label known spam numbers, but using Adaptive AI it identifies the patterns of spammers and blocks spam campaigns in their earliest stages. Enterprises can help their customers feel safe answering the phone by adding [Hiya Connect](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect), which enables businesses to display their company name, logo, and reason for the call on the recipient’s mobile phone. Branded caller ID identifies who is calling so customers will not be afraid to answer their phones. Individuals can check with their phone carrier to see if it offers spam/scam-blocking capabilities. If not, ask your carrier to consider adding Hiya Protect. [![banner-hiya-reg](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/banner-hiya-reg.jpg)](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ### Latest Articles ⚡️ - Hiya awarded 16 G2 Summer 2026 badges for branded caller ID Lena Prickett Jul. 9, 2026 - How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 - How to check phone numbers for spam labels Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ## Related articles ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/rogers-toronto-event-blog-hero.webp) ## [How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams](https://blog.hiya.com/how-canada-is-leading-the-fight-to-stop-bank-scams?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_How-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels_B.webp) ## [How to check phone numbers for spam labels](https://blog.hiya.com/how-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels?hsLang=en) Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Hiya%20x%20DNA-blog@2x.webp) ## [Hiya and DNA Finland launch network-level call protection](https://blog.hiya.com/hiya-and-dna-finland-launch-network-level-call-protection?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 2, 2026 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyainc) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/hiyainc/) ###### Products - Connect - [Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) - [Branded Call](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) - [View Plans](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) - Protect - [Spam Analytics](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) - [AI Voice Detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) - Apps - [Hiya Spam Blocker](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) - [Hiya AI Phone](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ###### Solutions - Company size - [Enterprise](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/enterprise) - [Call Centers](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/call-center) - [Small and Medium](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) - Service providers - [Operators](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) - [OEMs and technology](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/technology-partners) ###### Considering Hiya? - [Why Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) - [How it Works](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) - [Customer Stories](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) - [Voice Intelligence Platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) - [Trust Center](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) - [Modern Slavery](https://www.hiya.com/company/modern-slavery) - [About Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) - [Careers: We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) - [Contact us](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ###### Resources - [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) - [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) - [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) - [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) - [Hiya Blog](https://hiya.com/blog) - [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) - [Press Kit](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom#press-kit) ![ANAB](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-anab.svg) ![ISO 27001](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iso27017.png) ![AICPA](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-aicpa.svg) ![IAF](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iaf.svg) [Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/privacy) [Terms of Service](https://www.hiya.com/legal/terms-of-service) [App Data Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/app-data-protection-and-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hiya Team", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team" }, "dateModified" : "2025-10-08T17:00:18.838Z", "datePublished" : "2022-09-29T20:15:00.000Z", "headline" : "Healthcare Phone Scam Alert | Hiya", "image" : [ "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog%20Image%20template.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-healthcare-scam", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-logo-3.svg" }, "name" : "Hiya Inc." } } ```