An email saying your lab results are ready can be difficult to ignore, especially when it carries familiar MyChart branding and appears to involve your health. More than a dozen U.S. health systems have now warned patients about MyChart impersonation attempts, according to Healthcare Dive, with reported messages arriving through email, text messages, and phone calls.
Epic, the company behind MyChart, says scammers have impersonated the service with fake medical results, copied login pages, and bogus Medicare-related giveaways designed to steal information or install malicious software. Importantly, Epic says these attempts involve criminals abusing the trusted MyChart name rather than evidence that the MyChart platform itself has been compromised. Warnings have come from health systems in multiple states, including Texas, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, Georgia, and elsewhere, reinforcing that this isn’t a scam tied to one hospital or one geographic area. For patients, knowing how these schemes work can make the difference between deleting a suspicious message and inadvertently handing criminals access to sensitive information.
Fake Lab Results Can Lead to a Convincing MyChart Lookalike
One version of the MyChart phishing scam begins with an email claiming that recent test results are available, according to MyChart’s fraud-prevention guidance. Clicking the supposed sign-in button can take patients to a counterfeit MyChart page designed to capture their email address and password. After signing in, victims may see an entirely fabricated medical record containing alarming bloodwork results and a warning that an “AI-powered review” detected a serious problem.
The fake diagnosis is particularly effective because abnormal lab results naturally create anxiety and can push someone to act before stopping to verify the message. Patients who receive an unexpected results notification should instead open their healthcare provider’s official MyChart app or type their provider’s known portal address directly into a browser.
The Fake Results Can Turn Into a Malware Attack
Stealing a MyChart password isn’t necessarily the attacker’s final objective in this version of the scam. Epic says one fake portal instructed victims to prove they were human by opening the Windows Run command, pasting text, and pressing Enter, actions that could install malware on the computer. Another version displayed frightening lab values and offered a downloadable “Full Analysis Report,” then instructed users to bypass Windows security warnings to run the file. Those instructions are an enormous red flag because legitimate lab results are available inside MyChart and do not require patients to download executable programs.
Epic says the counterfeit page can look remarkably convincing because scammers copied code from the real MyChart website to create the imitation. The medical information displayed afterward isn’t pulled from the patient’s real chart — Epic says the name, birth date, patient number, lab results, and urgent medical warning shown in its documented example were fabricated.
If any healthcare website tells you to run computer commands, bypass a security warning, or install software to see your medical results, close the page immediately. “This is the attack,” Epic said. “No website should ever ask you to type keyboard shortcuts to prove you are human.”
A “Free Medicare Kit” Is Another Version of the Trap
The second major MyChart phishing scam trades medical fear for the appeal of getting something free. Healthcare organizations including Penn Medicine and Memorial Hermann Health System have warned about messages advertising a “MyChart Medicare Kit,” “Senior Health Package,” or similar wellness offer. Some messages tell recipients they have been specially selected, while others suggest a package is already being prepared or delivered. Epic is clear that MyChart does not conduct giveaways, making an unsolicited MyChart-branded offer for free products a reason to stop rather than click. Medicare beneficiaries should be particularly cautious about entering a Medicare number, Social Security number, insurance information, mailing address, or payment information after following an unsolicited link.
Countdown Clocks and Surveys Are Designed to Keep You Moving
The Medicare version can become increasingly convincing after someone follows the link. Epic documented a fake survey page featuring MyChart branding, the current date, claims that hundreds of thousands of dollars in products had been distributed, and a countdown clock pressuring the visitor to respond quickly. After completing the survey, the visitor supposedly “wins” a health kit advertised as having a $149 value but available for free, creating another reason to continue through the process. Artificial deadlines and dwindling inventory are classic pressure tactics because they discourage people from independently checking whether an offer exists. When an unexpected healthcare promotion tells you that you have only minutes to claim a benefit, slowing down is safer than speeding up.
Real Medicare Lab Coverage Doesn’t Work This Way
The Medicare references can sound believable because Medicare really does cover many diagnostic laboratory services, but legitimate coverage isn’t awarded through a surprise MyChart promotion. Medicare explains that Part B generally covers medically necessary diagnostic laboratory tests when they are ordered by a healthcare provider, and beneficiaries usually pay nothing for covered tests. Medicare has also long warned beneficiaries to protect their Medicare numbers and other personal information from fraud schemes involving supposedly “free” testing or healthcare services. That distinction matters: a genuine Medicare-covered test originates through appropriate healthcare channels, not a countdown timer, prize survey, or unexpected message offering a free kit. Anyone uncertain about a benefit can independently contact Medicare or their healthcare provider rather than relying on contact information supplied in the message.
Verify MyChart Messages Without Clicking Their Links
The safest response to a suspicious MyChart phishing scam is to avoid interacting with the message at all, including seemingly harmless unsubscribe buttons. MyChart recommends examining the sender and website address carefully, protecting passwords and verification codes, and contacting your healthcare organization’s help desk when something seems questionable. Healthcare systems have similarly advised patients not to open attachments, reply to suspicious messages, or provide medical, financial, insurance, or Medicare information. Instead of using a link in an email or text, open the MyChart mobile app yourself or navigate independently to your healthcare organization’s MyChart portal or use MyChart’s official “Find your MyChart” tool to locate the correct login page.
Epic’s director of research and development, Trevor Berceau, wrote, “The increase in attempts is due to scammers taking advantage of the popularity of the MyChart brand rather than any security concern, so you can continue to use MyChart as normal. If something doesn’t feel right, however, stop and check.”
What to Do If You Already Clicked
If you clicked the link but didn’t enter information or follow the computer instructions, close the page and report the message as spam. But if you entered your MyChart credentials, reset the password through your healthcare organization’s legitimate MyChart site or app and review the email address, phone number, and other contact information associated with the account. Epic also recommends contacting your healthcare organization’s help desk if you believe the account was compromised.
Medicare’s fraud guidance also advises beneficiaries to review their claims for services they did not receive and report suspected Medicare fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE. If the incident involved financial information, additional steps such as contacting the relevant bank or card issuer may also be appropriate depending on what was disclosed.
Anyone who followed the Windows Run instructions or downloaded and executed the fake lab-report program should treat the computer itself as potentially compromised rather than assuming changing the MyChart password alone solves the problem.
A Familiar Logo Is No Longer Enough to Trust a Health Message
What makes this MyChart phishing scam particularly dangerous is that it exploits actions patients already perform routinely: checking lab results and managing healthcare benefits online. More than a dozen health systems have reportedly warned patients about MyChart impersonation attempts, showing why the problem deserves attention beyond any single hospital or region. The reassuring part is that patients don’t have to become cybersecurity experts to avoid many of these traps; independently opening the official app, questioning unexpected giveaways, and refusing to run unfamiliar software eliminate several of the scammers’ strongest tactics. Families may also want to share the warning with older relatives who use MyChart and Medicare, especially because a realistic healthcare message can create urgency before skepticism has time to kick in.
Have you received a suspicious MyChart email, fake lab notification, or Medicare offer recently, and what tipped you off that something wasn’t right?
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