New Phone Scam Disguises Crooks as Health and Human Service Representatives

Another new phone scam is popping up in Central New York. The Madison County Facebook page is warning residents to avoid phone calls on your caller ID that appear to be coming from the HHS OIG Hotline.

The crooks in this latest scheme disguise themselves as a representative from the Office of the Inspector General and Health and Human Services. Somehow when they call the HHS OIG Hotline number 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) will appear on the caller ID. They are calling in an attempt to get beneficiaries and members of the public to give out personal information in an effort to commit financial crimes against them or drain their bank accounts.

According to the Madison County page,

It is important to know that HHS OIG will not use the HHS OIG Hotline telephone number to make outgoing calls and individuals should not answer calls from 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). We encourage the public to remain vigilant, protect their personal information, and guard against providing personal information during calls that purport to be from the HHS OIG Hotline telephone number. We also remind the public that it is still safe to call into the HHS OIG Hotline to report fraud.

If you believe you may have been targeted by this particular scam you are encouraged to call the number used to try and scam you, and that is the OIG HHS Hotline (1-800-HHS-TIPS). You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).