When Looking for Medicare or Health Insurance Online, Do Not Trust the Top Result
The FTC warned in June that paid search ads can send people to lookalike health insurance and Medicare sites that are not official government pages. Before you type in personal information, check for the small "Ad" label and make sure the address ends in .gov.
The Federal Trade Commission posted a useful warning on June 9, 2026 for anyone searching online for health insurance or Medicare information. The issue is not just fake emails or phone calls. Sometimes the trap is a paid search result that appears above the real one. It may look official, but it can lead to a private company or outright impersonator trying to collect personal information or steer you into something misleading.
This is especially important for older adults because Medicare questions often feel urgent. When people are comparing plans, checking enrollment details, or helping a spouse, it is easy to click the first thing that looks familiar. The FTC says that habit can cost you if the page is built to imitate a government source.
What to do: look for the small Ad or Sponsored label before clicking. Then check the web address carefully. Official U.S. government websites usually end in .gov. If the page ends in .com, .org, or something odd, stop and double-check before entering your name, Medicare number, or contact details.
A good habit is to scroll past the first paid result and look for the real government page instead. One extra second can save a lot of trouble.
Source: FTC Consumer Alert, June 9, 2026