All NYS healthcare professionals should be aware of scam communications from individuals impersonating employees of the Office of Professional Misconduct. The details of each scam vary, but commonly these scammers claim they have identified a threat to your professional license, such as compromised or suspended credentials, and that they need your cooperation in investigating or resolving the allegation. These scammers often use numbers associated with the Department of Education and place pressure to act immediately and impose some kind of monetary fine or compensation in order to “clear” you.
 
The Office of Professions has already received numerous calls from varying healthcare professionals regarding alleged license suspensions, and has advised to disregard such communications, contact DOE immediately to verify the inquiry, and report any suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission. See https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams#item-37207.  The alert can be found at the very top of the DOE website: https://www.op.nysed.gov/
 
If you receive any suspicious calls, emails, or communications from the Office of Professions, or the Office of Professional Medical Conduct:

  1. DO NOT disclose or confirm personal or licensing information over the phone, email, or any other format without confirming its security and legitimacy.
  2. VERIFY the information you were provided or the inquiry is legitimate by contacting DOE.
  3. REPORT the scam communication to the DOE and the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams#item-37207.

 

For assistance in verifying the legitimacy of any communications from the DOE please contact our office, Jaqueline Montesino, J.D., is taking lead on all Scam inquiries and may be reached at Jmontesino@kirschenbaumesq.com.