Protect yourself by adhering to the following recommendations



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announcement - washington medical commission scam notice

The Washington Medical Commission has received an increasing number of reports from providers regarding phishing and scam calls.

These fraudulent schemes often involve individuals impersonating WMC staff, DEA agents, or Department of Health officials. Scammers may use the WMC’s phone number, email address, or website to appear legitimate and attempt to convince providers they are under regulatory or legal investigation, with threats of disciplinary action or license suspension.

Their goal is to obtain personal or financial information that can be used for monetary gain or to target others.

For additional details, please see the Executive Director’s report in our *Winter Newsletter [ [link removed] ]*.

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 by adhering to the following recommendations:

* Never click on links or download suspicious attachments.
* Don't fall prey to a 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 [ [link removed] ] with the State Attorney General or file a complaint with the FBI [ [link removed] ] Internet Crimes Unit and contact your local police department right away!" Please help spread the word about this scam by sharing this information with your friends, family and colleagues.





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