From our State Medical Board of Ohio:

Licensees should remain vigilant against new extortion and spoofing scams targeting Ohio providers.

Recently, the Board received reports of individuals impersonating Board investigators and contacting our licensees via phone, alleging that they have been involved in a drug case in another state. The scammers threaten to suspend the provider’s license if they do not pay a fine within a certain timeframe. The scammers have also coordinated a three-way call with fake FBI agents to convince the provider to fill out a "cooperation agreement" and dissuade them from contacting the Medical Board directly.

As a reminder, if the Medical Board is truly conducting an investigation and that individual faces action against their license, they will receive an official notice of opportunity for a hearing either via certified mail, email or by personal service. All fines will be paid online through the official State of Ohio portal, eLicense.ohio.gov.

We do not want you to fall victim to these efforts. To learn how to identify a legitimate investigation and how to verify if a caller is an employee of the Medical Board, visit the Complaints & Investigations page.

If you are contacted by a scammer, please report the incident to your local law enforcement and the Ohio Attorney General’s office by filing a complaint online at ohioprotects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.