FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 29, 2006
Beware of callers asking for your secure information
COLUMBIA – South Carolina residents should be wary of callers who misrepresent themselves as health department staff members and ask for private or secure information, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control advised today.
“DHEC staff members will never ask for electronic payments, credit card or bank account numbers over the phone,” said Doug Calvert, DHEC’s chief of staff. “When making an appointment, health department staff might ask for insurance information or ask you to bring income or insurance information to your appointment.”
Calvert said that fraudulent calls reported by citizens indicate the caller offered a service and asked for bank information for an electronic payment transfer. According to Calvert, one bogus caller allegedly pretended to work for a DHEC County Public Health Clinic and transferred money from the citizen’s account.
Residents are advised to immediately report fraudulent calls to their local law enforcement. Other ways to reduce your risk of fraud include:
- Write down the phone number of the person calling you, his/her name and organization’s name.
- Note any phone number that might show up on your Caller I.D. and write that down.
- Hang up and call the number they provided, or compare it to a legitimate source.
- If it appears legitimate, verify it by calling the DHEC County Public Health Clinic using the phone book, Internet or other legitimate, recognized listing, not the number the caller provided.
- Confirm the details of the call with staff.
- Never give your social security, bank routing numbers or other private information to anyone who calls you.
A list of contact numbers for DHEC clinics can be found in the phone book or by going to http://www.scdhec.gov/health/ and clicking on your county.
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For more information:
Clair Boatwright – (803) 898-4461
E-mail – boatwrc@dhec.sc.gov
CBNR1198