Scammers impersonating state regulators: what you need to know

Washington State Health Care Authority sent this bulletin at 03/11/2024 06:30 AM PDT

March 11, 2024

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Scammers impersonating state regulators: what you need to know

This bulletin is being sent by the Health Care Authority (HCA) on behalf of the Washington Medical Commission (WMC).

An ongoing fraud ring has been preying on health care practitioners. The fraudulent behavior includes:

Using the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) phone number, email, and website URL.
Pretending to be Drug Enforcement Administration agents.
Posing as a Department of Health official to make providers think they are in trouble with regulators or the law and may be in danger of discipline or loss of license.

The scam involves using personal information to exploit you for money or information to execute scams on others.

What to look for

Recent near victims of this scam were:

Sent papers with official looking letterhead from the WMC and U.S. Department of Justice. The letters contained forged signatures of WMC officials and fictional investigative staff.
Called by someone claiming to be looking into their “over-prescribing of opioids.”
Told they were under official investigation for drug related charges and that their license was immediately suspended.
Told not to check our website because that would mean they are guilty.
Recipients of emails that had wmc.wa.gov in the address.

Legitimate regulatory agencies will not:

Ask you for money.
Ask you to respond to any action in less than twenty days.
Advise against speaking with a lawyer.
Ask you to confirm personal details, passwords, or social security numbers.

Protect yourself

Never click on suspicious links or download suspicious attachments
Don't fall prey to manufactured urgency. A vital component of this fraud is the urgency of request or demand. If you are contacted by a regulatory agency, you will have a legally protected amount of time to respond
If you suspect that you are being contacted by a fraudulent regulator, you can verify the request with the WMC by calling: (360) 236-2750.
Restrict your personal information online. Scammers leverage personal information from social media accounts or other public forums.

If you have verified that you are being attacked, file a complaint with the State Attorney General or file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crimes Unit and contact your local police department right away.

Help spread the word about this scam by sharing this information with your friends, family, and colleagues.

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

Functioning as both the state's largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

There are three pillars of our work: Apple Health (Medicaid); the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs; and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.

Please do not reply directly to this message. For more information, visit the HCA website, where you'll also find contact information.

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Nondiscrimination

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) complies with all applicable federal and Washington state civil rights laws and is committed to providing equal access to our services. Visit HCA’s website to view complete nondiscrimination statements.