The California Department of Public Health has issued a statement warning the public of a new wave of scam calls. The statement was issued on Thursday after reports from multiple victims.
Scammers pose as healthcare officials with fake CDPH numbers to request personal information related to pharmacy visits or prescription requests. Callers coordinate to impersonate real healthcare personnel and, in some cases, will redirect the victim to a videocall with a fake police officer in an elaborate fabricated recording room.
“We are aware of ongoing scam efforts impersonating CDPH staff to pressure Californians into divulging personal information,” said CDPH Director Dr. Erica Pan.
“We urge Californians to remain vigilant about phone and online scams. While CDPH staff do contact members of the public regarding public health investigations, they would never ask for personal financial information of any kind over the phone,” she added.
Callers will ask victims for sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card information. They will also impose a false sense of urgency by mentioning things such as “legal consequences or canceled prescriptions.”
The CDPH gives the following instructions for anyone receiving a suspicious call:
LAPD Public Information Officer Norma Eisenman told Los Angeles that they are not aware of any reports of these scams at the time.
The CDPH statement warns, “While CDPH may reach out to individuals for legitimate public health purposes, such as disease contact tracing, these calls will never involve requests for Social Security numbers, credit card information, or non–health-related data.”
These scams are similar to others active throughout the country.
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