It is important that you, your employees, and your patients are aware of the latest scam and know how to react.
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A new scam is targeting individuals all over the country.
What’s the scam?
Scammers say that they are calling from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). They then try to get personal information from the victim, in an effort to fraud them. The calls show up as coming from the HHS OIG Hotline number (1-800-447-8477).
What do they want?
Scammers have asked victims for a variety of information, including their: Social Security number, date of birth, credit card information, driver’s license information, bank account information, and mother’s maiden name.
What should you do?
- Tell your patients and employees that HHS OIG does not make outgoing calls from their hotline number;
- Make sure that patients and employees do not give any personal information to unknown individuals; and
- Also, tell patients and employees not even to verify personal information and to be cautious upon receipt of any call asking for information.
If you receive a scam call from the OIG Hotline number, you should report the scam. Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS to report the scam. Make sure to provide the date and time you received the call.
You can also file a complaint at 1-877-382-4357 with the Federal Trade Commission.
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