The FTC says scammers place impersonator-style results at the top of search pages and use them to harvest personal/financial data. The agency urges URL verification and avoiding lookalike pages.

According to the FTC, a recurring health-insurance scam uses search-result manipulation to impersonate government help. Fraudsters buy ad placement that visually resembles official pages, hoping users will click through under time pressure while searching for Medicare or related coverage. Once victims arrive, the site may attempt to collect personal and financial information through forms and prompts that appear legitimate. The FTC’s guidance centers on two practical checks. First, look for the “Ad” or “Sponsored” indicator—paid listings can be hosted by entities that are not affiliated with government programs. Second, verify the URL you land on before entering any data. The agency emphasizes that official resources typically use recognizable government domain patterns (such as .gov), while impersonators may use similar spellings, alternative domains, or unexpected web addresses. The FTC also recommends changing default behavior: instead of trusting the top-of-page result, scroll to organic listings where the likelihood of impersonation may be lower. If a page’s claims feel inconsistent with what you’d expect from a real government program, treat it as suspicious and do not submit information. This scam’s effectiveness comes from blending into search, exploiting user intent, and relying on insufficient URL checks. Careful verification and patience can prevent data theft and related financial harm.