Other LanguagesOLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued a warning today that scammers posing as members of the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) are calling medical providers to claim the WMC suspended their license.
The Attorney General’s Office received one complaint and the WMC has received reports from medical practitioners of a scam in which scammers use technology to pose as the Commission by replicating the Commission’s phone number. The caller then falsely claims the Commission has suspended the medical provider’s license, and provides the practitioner’s actual medical license number. The scammer then directs the provider to a nearby business with a fax machine to receive paperwork that notifies them of a “suspension.”
The WMC does not make calls to anyone facing a license suspension. The WMC sends letters to any practitioner under investigation or facing discipline. Any medical license holder facing suspension receives several letters from the WMC, which include legal documents and timelines for responding.
“Do not fall victim to this Medical Commission scam,” Ferguson said. “If you receive a call from somebody claiming to be from the Medical Commission notifying you of a suspended license, hang up, contact the Commission directly, and file a complaint with my office.”
What to do
- If you or a family member receives one of these calls, hang up immediately.
- Do not trust callers who use threats to bully or frighten you. Legitimate investigators will not demand payment over the phone, text or email.
- Any demand that you pay in gift cards, via an online payment app, to UPS stores, in parking lots or other non-traditional means signals a scam.
- Please help spread the word about this scam by sharing this information with your friends, family and colleagues.
Further, the Federal Communications Commission recommends the following steps:
- If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request.
- Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
If you receive a suspicious call, do not send personal information, or money, or accept that your license has been suspended and stop work. Call 360-236-2706, or email the WMC right away. You can also file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Media Contact:
Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov
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