Watch Out for Scams Targeting Nurses

Recently, we have received reports of scammers claiming to be from the Virginia Board of Nursing contacting our employees.

In one instance, an employee received a fax with a fake "suspension of license" letter. In another, the employee received a call saying that "fraudulent activity was found on your nurse practitioner license." The scammer asked for personal bank account information; when the employee refused, the caller said the employee would be arrested.

Scam and phishing attempts have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began. If you are wondering if a communication you received is a scam, here are some things to look out for:

• A request to “verify your account” or for personal information. Businesses should not ask you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers or other personal information through e-mail.
• Something that seems too good to be true. The lottery scam is a common phishing scam known as advanced fee fraud – scammers ask you to send them a “processing fee” before you receive the prize. The lottery scam often includes references to big companies.
• A sense of urgency or threatening language, such as "If you don't respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed." Scammers are counting on people to respond immediately without thinking. A phishing e-mail message might claim that your response is required because your account might have been compromised.

If you receive a call, fax or email that seems like a scam, do not give out any information. Let our Information Security team know about it by clicking the "Report Phish" button in Outlook (for emails) or by emailing Information_Risk_Management@carilionclinic.org (for calls or faxes).