The Texas Medical Board continues to remind licensees to be on the alert for scammers impersonating the TMB and other state and federal agencies over the phone or through fake letters sent via FAX, email, or mail.
In some instances scammers may claim to be employees with the TMB, DEA, FBI or other law enforcement entity and may even attempt to spoof agency phone numbers or send documents on official-looking letterhead demanding money or other action (click here for an example of a fake letter).
Please know the TMB staff would never call and discourage individuals from contacting lawyers, make requests for sensitive information over the phone or send demand letters for money to reinstate licenses or threaten the arrest of licensees. The TMB does not suspend licenses at the direction of the DEA, FBI or other federal entity. Additionally, the TMB has no authority to issue, cancel, or influence arrest warrants, as some scams have indicated.
For more information on reporting scammers, visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/common-scams
The DEA previously issued notices to registrants and has provided the following advisory information:
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is aware that registrants are receiving telephone calls and emails by criminals identifying themselves as DEA employees or other law enforcement personnel. The criminals mask their telephone number on caller ID by showing the DEA Registration Support 800 number.
Please be aware that a DEA employee would not contact a registrant and demand money or threaten to suspend a registrant’s DEA registration.
If you are contacted by a person purporting to work for DEA and seeking money or threatening to suspend your DEA registration, submit the information on the DEA Diversion Control Division website www.DEADiversion.usdoj.gov and select the link for “Extortion Scam Online Reporting.”
For more information, contact your local DEA Field Office, which may be found at https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/contactDea/spring/fullSearch.
You may also contact the Registration Service Center: 1-800-882-9539 or DEA.Registration.Help@usdoj.gov.
FBI Warns Health Care Professionals of Ongoing Scams (August 22, 2022)
The FBI is warning individuals employed in the healthcare industry of ongoing widespread fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials in attempts to extort money or steal personally identifiable information (PII). To read the advisory, click here.
Updated August 26, 2022
The Texas Attorney General issued a consumer alert on May 7, 2020, warning Texans of scammers impersonating government entities.
To read the notice, please see the following link: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/consumer-alert-ag-paxton-warns-scammers-impersonating-government-entities
For more information on reporting scammers, visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/common-scams
COVID-19-related Scams
The OAG has information about reporting scams related to COVID-19 at the following link: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/beware-vaccine-scams