Making sure a company is who they say they are
Before your family shares any health history, personal details, or payment information, a few gentle checks are all it takes to confirm you're really talking to who you think you are. None take more than a few minutes, and every single one is free.
Check the state license — for both the company and the agent
Every state runs an insurance department (sometimes called a Department of Insurance, sometimes a Division of Insurance) that licenses every company and every individual agent allowed to sell there. That license is public record, and every state offers a free lookup where you can search a company or agent by name to see whether their license is active and in good standing. If you're not sure where to find your state's regulator, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners keeps a helpful directory at naic.org. This isn't a specialized skill reserved for experts — it's the same tool regulators want ordinary families to use.
Ask for the agent's license number
A licensed agent is issued a National Producer Number, or NPN, the moment they become licensed — a personal ID that stays with them no matter which company they represent at the time. A genuinely caring agent will hand you this number without any hesitation, and you can look it up through the same state tools mentioned above. If someone hesitates, deflects, or simply can't produce a license number, take that as your family's cue to slow down and verify before going any further.
Notice how you're being asked to pay
Legitimate carriers collect premium in ordinary, traceable ways — a bank draft, a check made out to the company itself, or a card charged directly by the carrier. None of that requires anything unusual. If anyone asks your family to pay by wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash through the mail, stop right there — real insurance companies simply never ask for payment that way. Those methods all share one thing that has nothing to do with insurance: once the money is sent, it's nearly impossible to trace or bring back.
A gentle rule of thumb
If a payment method would work just as well for a stranger pretending to be a grandchild in trouble, it's not a payment method a real insurance company would ever ask your family for either.
Run these checks on anyone who contacts you
This website is not an insurer or an insurance agency. It connects families with independent licensed insurance agents, agencies and insurance carriers. Please apply the same checks to anyone who contacts you: ask for a license number, verify it with your state department of insurance, and look up any carrier mentioned in the conversation. A legitimate agent has nothing to lose from a five-minute check, and your family shouldn't have to take anyone's word for it.