The Missouri State Board of Nursing is alerting Missourians of a scam targeting licensed nurses in the state. This scam can target nurses by either phone or mail.
Jefferson City – A Missouri licensed nurse alerted the Board’s office after she received a phone call from a person who falsely identified himself as being from the Missouri State Board of Nursing. She said she repeatedly received phone calls from a number identified as 573-751-0681, which is the official phone number of the Board of Nursing. The person calling said there was a case against her Missouri nurse practitioner license and indicated she should have received letters from the Board about this. He then passed her off to the “officer in charge” identified as Patrick Walker in the letter. After several calls, they demanded payment in the form of a bond to keep her license active while the case was being investigated.
The caller had the nurse’s address, Missouri license number and NPI number. He told her someone had written prescriptions in another state using her NPI number.
Missouri nurses are also being contacted by mail. In these instances, the nurses receive fake but official looking documents that appear to be sent by the Board of Nursing. These phony letters indicate the nurse is under investigation for allegedly trafficking illegal drugs, and that they will not be allowed to continue practicing past a certain date. Finally, the letter states that the nurse should contact the officer in charge of the investigation and lists a Missouri phone number. The letters are mailed to the nurse’s home address and both reference the nurse’s actual state license number.
“These scams are highly concerning as they’re targeting Missouri nurses during a time when they are devoting their attention to our state’s response to the health of our citizens,” said Lori Scheidt, executive director of the Missouri State Board of Nursing. “I am deeply concerned that these scammers are using address and licensing information, which is public record, to make their communications appear to be official.”
If nurses receive a call or communication they can search for their record using Licensure QuickConfirm at www.nursys.com. After the record is accessed, they can print a report that will show their license number, original issue date, whether they have a multistate or single state license and discipline status. Current or future employers can also verify licenses at www.nursys.com.
If nurses have not already done so, they are urged to enroll in Nursys® e‐Notify at www.nursys.com/EN/ENDefault.aspx. Enrollment in Nursys® e‐Notify. They will receive license renewal reminders, notification when a license is actually renewed and notification of any changes to their license or discipline status. When enrolling in e‐Notify, nurses can opt in to receive automated electronic reminders.