Telephone scammers posing as NJ health staff
By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Some New Jersey residents have been targeted by scammers posing as state Health Department employees to try to obtain personal information, officials said on Tuesday January 27. [2026]
.....
The scam appears to be fairly elaborate, with the perpetrators even using Health Department phone numbers that register on Caller IDs.
..... During a call, the perpetrators tell the recipients that someone has used their name to illegally obtain prescription drugs in another state. They then ask for personal information. If the person refuses, the scammer threatens them with punishment if they don't comply.
.....
It is not known how many calls have been made using the ruse or whether any victims gave up information. Health Department officials said they have received "multiple reports" of New Jerseyans being contacted.
..... Although the department did not say whether the victims were seniors, older residents are often the targets of phone call scams. elder fraud is rising at an alarming are nationwide, going from about 50,000 victims in 2017 to almost 100,000 in 2021, according FBI statistics. The amount stolen soared from $400 million in 2017 to $1.7 billion in 2021.
.....
Posing as authority figures is common for scammers, whether as a fake IRS agent requesting back taxes and threatening to garnish Social Security payments or a fake police officer demanding bail to release a relative who was never arrested.
..... One of the most common scams regardless of age involves identity theft, in which perpetrators acquire information and use it for credit card purchases, fraudulent tax refunds and other schemes.
State hit hard by scams
..... New Jersey is one of the hardest-hit states. In 2021, it ranked fifth in the amount of money stolen: $87.5 million, the equivalent of 433,000 per victim.
..... Acting Health Commissioner Raynard Washington urged the public to contact police immediately after receiving one of these calls.
.....
But catching fraudsters is not easy, because many are based overseas. Many are able to shut down operations and move quickly. The enforcement rate is estimated to be below 1%, since victims often do not report cybercrime.
..... "If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a government representative who pressures you to provide money or personal information, immediate hang up and independently verify that the request is legitimate by calling the government agency in question," said Jeremy E. Hollander, acting director of the state Division of Consumer Affairs.
..... Calls to the public from local, county, and state helaht departments surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. contact tracers were calling to track the spread of the disease and warp individuals that they might have been exposed.
..... But health officials say their employees never ask for personal information.
.....
Contact tracers will ask for health status, confirmation of birth date and the location where exposure may have occurred to make sure they are speaking to the right individual.
.....
They will not ask for financial information or prescription drug purchases.