NJ Licensing SCAM Alert

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Email received today from NJ Division of Consumer Affairs -responsible for NJ Board of Nursing.  Karen

SCAM ALERT!

The Division of Consumer Affairs is urging our licensees to be on alert for new scams targeting healthcare professionals and possibly others. The Division has received information that impersonators are reaching out to licensees about fraudulent activity related to their practicing credentials, or about alleged disciplinary action or criminal charges against them.

The Division has been made aware of the following scam attempts:

• Two doctors received calls from individuals claiming to work for the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners. In at least one occasion, a voicemail message from someone impersonating board staff indicated that there was illegal activity flagged against the doctor’s medical license related to a case of illegal drugs seized at the southern border of Texas. In both instances callers attempted to gather personal information from licensees

 

• Several nurses have also received calls matching the phone number for the office of the New Jersey Board of Nursing. The caller posed as an employee and informed the licensee of an alleged suspension due to illegal trafficking. In an attempt to make the call appear more legitimate, a scammer sent one of the nurses a fraudulent letter by fax to a UPS facility. The individual later tried to convince the nurse to provide additional personal information to reinstate her professional license to practice, when in fact her license remains active. Another nurse was asked for an electronic wire transfer of $23,500 to avoid suspension of her practicing credentials.

 

Phishing scams such as these often aim to steal someone’s identity by obtaining personal information such as social security numbers or financial account numbers. Fraudsters may also request payment in the form of pre-paid gift cards or wire transfers. 

Scammers may use information readily available online to draft official-looking communications and falsify the phone numbers transmitted on a caller ID to convince individuals they are speaking to a representative of a professional board or other governmental agency.

If you have received any calls similar to what has been described above, or are seeking to verify contact from your respective board, please contact that board by email directly to report the incident immediately.

Click here   https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Documents/SCAMLetterNJ1.pdf  to see an example of a recent scam attempt.

Sincerely,

Paul R. Rodríguez

Acting Director

Division of Consumer Affairs

New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/