Providers Warn of Uptick in Spoof Calls

Carilion Clinic has recently seen an uptick in complaints about phone calls from scammers who illegally “spoof” Carilion phone numbers to trick consumers into giving information or to commit Medicare fraud.

What is Spoofing?

Phone scammers often disguise their identity by using illegal spoofing techniques to send false information to your caller ID display. To trick people into answering, spoofers may use local area codes and numbers that look familiar. They may also impersonate a local organization.

Here are a few examples of recent calls from scammers who illegally spoofed Carilion’s phone numbers:

• The scammer said they worked for a Carilion office and tried to sell diabetic supplies.
• The scammer said they were calling from a medical practice and asked if the person on the line was having knee or back pain.
• The scammer offered braces, blood sugar measuring devices or other medical devices, claiming they would be covered by Medicare.
• The scammer said they were working for an outsourced company that works with the Veterans Administration and needed to set up an exam for the patient.
• The scammer said they worked for a lab and the person on the phone had an overdue bill.

How to Tell if a Call is Really from Carilion

A legitimate call from Carilion will be one that the patient is expecting to receive related to recent or upcoming appointments.

If a call says “Carilion” on the caller ID but sounds like a sales call or seems suspicious, hang up. Then call your Carilion provider or the main Carilion number at 800-422-8482 to verify the call was legitimate.

Additional Tips

It can be hard to tell if a call is spoofed just by looking at the caller ID. Here are some things people can do to protect themselves from phone scams:

• Never give out personal information (such as your Social Security number, Medicare number, password, mother’s maiden name, etc.) in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
• Don't answer calls from unknown numbers.
• If you answer the phone and the caller isn’t who you expected it to be, hang up.
• If you answer the phone and are asked to hit a button to stop getting the calls, hang up.
• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "yes" or "no."
• Use caution if you are being pressured for information.
• If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, set a password for it.
• If you think you've been the victim of a spoofing scam, you can file a complaint with the FCC.

For More Information

Learn more at https://www.fcc.gov/spoofing.