DEA Warns Healthcare Workers of Impersonation Scam Targeting Doctors and Pharmacists
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is issuing a critical alert to healthcare professionals, warning of recent scam calls targeting doctors and pharmacists. Fraudsters are impersonating DEA agents to steal sensitive information and possibly extort money.
Please know DEA personnel will never contact medical practitioners or members of the public by telephone to request personal or sensitive information, demand money or any other form of payment. Legitimate DEA agents will only notify individuals of investigations or legal actions in person or via official letter.
Reported scam tactics continually change but often share many of the same characteristics. Callers use names found online of well-known DEA officials, retired or former Special Agents, and/or police officers in local departments. Callers will also provide fake badge numbers. Additionally, they may:
- use an urgent and aggressive tone.
- threaten arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, and, in the case of medical practitioners and pharmacists, revocation of their DEA registration.
- reference National Provider Identifier numbers and/or state license numbers when calling a medical practitioner. They also may claim that patients are making accusations against the practitioner.
- ask for personal information, such as social security number or date of birth.
Listen here to an actual recording of a phone call where a person attempts to impersonate a DEA Special Agent.
Protecting Against Identity Theft
The best deterrence against these bad actors is awareness and caution. Anyone receiving a call from a person claiming to be with DEA should report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. The Federal Trade Commission provides recovery steps, shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies and takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Reporting these scam calls will help federal authorities find, arrest, and stop the criminals engaged in this fraud. Impersonating a federal agent is a violation of federal law, punishable by up to three years in prison; aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison plus fines and restitution.
The DEA is committed to protecting healthcare professionals from these fraudulent schemes. By raising awareness and encouraging prompt reporting, we can help to stop these criminals and ensure the safety and security of our nation's healthcare workforce.
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