In this scam, health care providers may receive phone calls and/or faxes from scammers claiming to represent the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) or the federal Department of Justice. The scammers may tell the provider that their license has been suspended and that the provider is under investigation by the FBI. Scammers eventually demand that the provider wire money to an international bank to reinstate their license and resolve the FBI investigation.

Remember the following to avoid falling victim to a scam:

• The DOH will never ask providers to wire money to save a license. According to the DOH, “If any issues do arise potentially affecting a health care professional’s Washington license, that person will receive written communication by mail and/or by email from an investigator at a verifiable Department of Health email address. That investigator would also provide a Department of Health phone number to contact with questions.” The DOH will not contact you via fax.
• If you receive a suspicious call from a number claiming to represent the DOH or the FBI, hang up. Scammers can easily spoof incoming phone calls to appear to be from state or federal agencies. See bullet point one — DOH will first contact you by mail and/or email (not fax) regarding an issue with your license.
• If you ever have a question about the status of your license, you may verify its status using the DOH Provider Credential Search.

Please be on alert, as WSDA frequently hears from members who are contacted by scammers.