Friday, December 4, 2020
Our office has received complaints about scams targeting people who hold a nursing license. In this scam, the nurse receives a call claiming to be from the nursing board, DEA, or FBI about suspected illegal drug or banking activity by the nurse. The callers instruct the nurse to cooperate with their investigation by making a payment.
Nurses can protect themselves by following these tips:
- Never trust an unknown caller. Like many licensed professionals, a nurse’s name and license number can be found on a public website. By providing the targeted nurse with his or her actual license number, the scammer can appear more credible.
- Call the agency directly. Whenever a person calls claiming to be from a government agency or private company, hang up and instead call a number listed on their website to ask if the call was legitimate.
- Never give out financial information to an unknown caller. Instead, hang up and call our office.
If you believe that you have been the victim of a scam, contact our office’s Consumer Protection Division at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.