Scam Alert!

[HopelessMS]

How prevalent are scams done on doctors? What year were you when you received your first scam call threatening you with imprisonment and hundreds of dollars of fines because your license has been used to traffic opioids, money laundering, and wire fraud, and you are a suspect?

They did their homework with publicly available information to use in their "accusations" against me. I am familiar with financial scams, but as a doctor, this was my first one and hopefully last time I will fall for it.

My experience recently with one of these scammers really opened my eyes. I am on alert when I get a phishing email or text but when the number is included in a secure message from a staffer in my clinic, my guard was down and I carelessly called the number while juggling calls from nurses and attendings about patients, and was hooked for about 10 minutes before the light came on that this is likely a scam and hung up. In hindsight, a google of the number revealed it to be a scam.

PSA to recently licensed physicians and future licensees. Be on guard with every number you are asked to call even if it is a secure message from your clinic.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Conjecturing: being a physician is a matter of public record, right?

If people can scam seniors out of their retirement (reverse mortgages, timeshares, are you willing to sell your house?), there are going to be scammers coming after doctors.

This is why I rarely ever answer my phone anymore unless I anticipate the call.

 

[Hollow Knight]

According to the White Coat Investor many, many financial advisors prey on physicians. Since I'm not a physician yet, I wouldn't know, but I believe it.

 

[WildWing]

Unfortunately, these types of attacks/scams will only get more sophisticated with AI.

A couple of months ago, the Cut published an article from their financial reporter about how she got scammed out of $50K: How I Got Scammed Out of $50,000

This is important to keep in mind as well to protect yourself - a law professor describing why he never talks to a police officer:

 

[Goro]

When I get spam calls, I like to try to string them along as long as possible.

I also make fun of them by continually to call them by different names than the one they give me.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

When I get spam calls, I like to try to string them along as long as possible.

I also make fun of them by continually to call them by different names than the one they give me.

If I'm in the mood to play along, which is rare, I'll do the same. When I can't stand it any longer, I reveal my ruse and tell them I'm performing a civil service by keeping them from interrupting someones else's dinner. I have been cussed out in pigeon English and couple of languages I didn't recognize.

 

[mrbreakfast]

Scammers rely on naivete, and there is no better target than residents and young physicians, who may have spent their entire lives in school and have little real-world experience.

Some basic things to keep in the back of your mind:
-If it's a financial issue (bank, amazon, whatever), they won't need you to verify a bunch of information. It's a simple "hey, we saw something strange on your account. Did you do X?" If you say no, they'll tell you how they will address it and hang up.
-If it's an issue with your license or something other thing professionally-related, they will email you and tell you to call an easily-googable number.
-If you are in actual, serious legal trouble, they won't call or email you. They'll come find you
-If the person on the other end of the line is rude, yells, or pressures you, it is 100% a scam.
-If you are not sure what is going on, tell them you can't talk right now and ask how you can call back in a few minutes to contact them. If they object to this, it's almost certainly a scam.

 

[LunaOri]

Never give information over the phone. Always tell them to send it in writing (which any legitimate agency would have done in the first place). Of course, I have seen scams by mail, too, but those are easier to recognize.