Phony DEA agent phone scam targets medical providers
VUMC officials are warning about a phone scam in which callers pretend to be federal agents investigating the smuggling of illegal drugs.
Callers may use some publicly available information, such as a provider’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number, to lend an air of legitimacy to the scam. Calls typically end with a demand that the provider wire money to a designated location, often outside the U.S.
Any VUMC clinician or other employee who receives such a call is urged to hang up and report the incident to Vanderbilt University Police Department. The scam can also be reported to the DEA using the government form here.
More information about the DEA scam from the group Consumer Action is here.