Police warn of scam callers impersonating local medical providers

(KRON) — Police in the East Bay are warning the public of recent scam callers who are pretending to be local medical providers.

According to the Fremont Police Department, the callers claim that the victim has a scheduled medical procedure and demands personal information or payment. The scam callers may ask for insurance numbers, social security numbers or bank account information.

Scammers may use a false sense of urgency, authorities said, such as being told of urgent medical issues or pending bills that require immediate resolution. “Scammers may threaten to arrest the victim or terminate coverage if money is not sent,” said Fremont PD.

Another red flag includes the scam caller intentionally using technical jargon to sound credible and confuse victims. “Scammers may use technical-sounding terms, referencing medical procedures, insurance claims, billing codes or policies,” according to Fremont police.

Authorities advised community members that scammers can manipulate caller ID, so phone calls appearing to originate from a medical provider cannot be trusted without further verification. It is possible that scammers will have limited personal information on their victims to appear trustworthy, police said.

“As in many scams, the person conducting the scam will often demand payment be made via an untraceable method, like gift card purchases, pre-paid debit cards, wire transfers, cash withdrawal or cryptocurrencies,” Fremont PD said. “Scammers often prefer these methods because they are difficult to trace and impossible to reverse once the victim has discovered the scam.”