NORMAN, Okla. – Officials with Norman Regional Health System have a warning about a phone “spoofing” scam.
Caller ID can be a good tool for filtering phone calls, but that’s not always the case.
“Some really great citizens had received a phone call that they thought was from our number, but it wasn’t,” said Melissa Herron with Norman Regional Health System.
In each case, the caller asked for personal information, including a social security number.
“One particular said she looked at her phone, it said Norman Regional but, when she answered the phone, they said something like, oh, you’ve won the lottery, which, obviously, the hospital would not be calling about that,” Herron said.
Turns out, Norman Regional isn’t alone.
“This isn’t the first spoofing scam we’ve seen recently here in Norman. We’ve had scams even here at the police department where people have received phone calls, even the caller ID shows up that it’s the Norman Police Department or the city of Norman,” said Sarah Jensen with the Norman Police Department.
In some of those cases, the scammer even posed as a specific officer. They typically demand the citizens pay an outstanding warrant or ticket.
“So, once we were contacted by Norman Regional Health System, we partnered with them just to let people know that they really need to report those scams,” Jensen said.
They also want to remind you to never give out personal information over the phone and wait for a bill or notice in writing.
If you receive a call with a Norman Regional caller ID that sounds suspicious, call Norman police, Norman Regional Hospital at 405-307-1000 or the Healthplex at 405-515-1000.
