Dentists and doctors, beware! According to the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), doctors, dentists, and other licensed professionals should be aware of an alleged fraud scheme that targets licensees of DCA’s boards and bureaus. In the scam, the deceivers identify themselves as staff members of DCA, boards, or bureaus, and alert the licensee that they are either being investigated, their license may be suspended or there’s an arrest warrant in the licensee’s name, to which they demand payment.

In other instances, the deceivers will identify themselves as other state entities such law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Agency or the FBI.

According to the DCA, staff members from these state entities will never demand money of any kind without conducting an official investigation or inquiry. They recommend you refuse these demands if you receive any suspicious calls of this nature.

In order to protect yourself, they recommend the following:

• To never disclose personal information such as social security numbers, date of birth or credit card numbers.
• They ask that if you do receive a suspicious call, to contact the DCA directly at 800-952-5210 to determine if an official investigation is in fact being conducted.
• If the caller is representing any of these entities, to file a report. Those links are listed below.
  • DEA: https://www.dea.gov/stories/2019/06/11/alert-extortion-scam-targeting-dea-registrants
  • FBI: https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
  • DCA, Board or Bureau: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002234203-Unwanted-Calls-Phone

As always, be weary of anything suspicious, whether by phone or by letter. Last year, we warned our readers about corporate compliance and trademark registration scams by similar scam artists who sent official-looking letters to professionals. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.