Delaware Division of Professional Regulation Notice Regarding Fraudulent Calls
November 9, 2020. The State of Delaware Division of Professional Regulation has received communications from licensees of a scam being perpetrated. Currently, this scam has only been attempted on licensed health care practitioners.
The scam is initiated with a phone call. The callers are able to project a valid Division of Professional Regulation phone number on the caller id of the prospective victim. The caller states that they are a law enforcement agency or a representative of the Board. In the scenario, the scammer says they represent law enforcement, the scammer advises the victim that the are a suspect in some sort of investigation. They will ask the victim to wire money to avoid having an arrest warrant issued.
In another scenario the scammer tells the potential victim that they are from the Board, they advise the victim that their professional license has either been suspended or revoked. They then tell the victim that they must pay a fine over the phone either by wiring money, or using a credit card to avoid further penalty or action against their license.
These scammers appear to be very organized and very convincing. They use strong language, make very serious threats, and get increasingly hostile as the call progresses. The scammers do research and are able to obtain information about their targets, such as license, NPI and DEA numbers, prior to initiating the call.
The Division of Professional Regulation does not:
- Suspend or revoke a license without some sort of opportunity for the licensee to have a hearing.
- Send notices of a hearing, suspension, or revocation solely through email or via telephone call. All notices are sent through certified mail.
- Take payment for anything over the telephone. All payments, including fines, must be made through our online portal with a credit card.
- Send text messages asking for you to call the number provided to discuss your imminent “suspension or revocation of your license.”
If you have been a victim of this type of scam, or feel you have been a potential victim of this type of scam, please contact the Division of Professional Regulation (302.744.4500). There is an active investigation open with the Delaware State Police, who are also working with their colleagues in Federal law enforcement when warranted.