SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — As technology continues to advance, scam calls are becoming more popular and harder to recognize.
In February, the American Hospital Association advised all health organizations to be on alert for potential scam calls impersonating agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency. On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Patricia Miller-Canfield received that call.
“He gave me his name, he gave me his badge number, and he gave me a case number”, Miller-Canfield said. “Then he started talking about all these things.”
Dr. Miller-Canfield is a Pathologist and the Medical Director of the Laboratory at Sullivan County Community Hospital. She said she regularly receives calls from the DEA, so this wasn’t an obvious scam.
“Sometimes the DEA calls me because I’m a pathologist and I know about drug testing, so they will call me to consult with me”, Miller-Canfield said. “That is not uncommon.”
She said the caller had a wide range of verified information about her as a medical professional.
“He said my case was about a shipment of pain medication that had been brought into the United States through San Antonio, Texas and that it had my name, my Indiana license number on it, which he knew that information”, Miller-Canfield said. “Then he knew my NPI number as well.”
It wasn’t until the caller brought up her personal finances that she recognized the scam.
“When they started asking about my personal bank accounts”, Miller-Canfield said. “It took them approximately 45 minutes before they got to that.”
Dr. Miller-Canfield said this was an eye-opening experience on how real these scams can sound and she wants others to be aware.
“I want my colleagues to know that this is happening and it sounds real”, Miller-Canfield said. “Please don’t give them any personal banking information because that’s what they’re after.”
In a press release in October of 2024, the DEA stressed that they will never contact pharmacists by phone to demand money or levy fines. The DEA states that those notifications will be made in person or via an official letter.
