The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information.

DEA personnel will never contact members of the public or medical practitioners to demand money or any other form of payment, will never request personal or sensitive information, and will only notify people of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by official letter. In fact, no legitimate federal law enforcement officer will demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public. You should only give money, gift cards, and personally identifiable information, including bank account information, to someone you know.

Anyone receiving a call from someone claiming to be with DEA should report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.  The Federal Trade Commission provides recovery steps, shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies, and takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Any victims who have given personally identifiable information like a social security number to the caller can learn how to protect against identity theft at www.identitytheft.gov.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

With Thanks,

Stacey Taylor

Author: Georgia Society of Addiction Medicine

ASAM/GSAM Chapter Engagement Manager