Police Say Medical Scammers Are On The Rise In This Bay Area City

FREMONT, CA — The Fremont Police Department warned locals to be wary as they have seen an increase in reported scams involving people pretending to be medical providers seeking money, police said.

Police said there has been a rise in scams where people impersonate medical providers in the area. The scammers have called residents, said they are scheduled for a medical procedure and demanded payment or personal information over the phone, such as insurance numbers, Social Security numbers or bank account information, police said.

Police warned residents to be wary of red flags that indicate a scammer is calling such as the scammer demanded the victim act quickly or threatened to arrest them or terminate medical coverage. Scammers may also use medical terminology to seem credible, police said.

Scammers often request payment in forms such as gift cards, pre-paid debit cards, wire transfers, cash withdrawals or cryptocurrencies, police said.

Police said scammers may spoof phone numbers to make them seem legitimate and to be careful of unexpected calls from someone claiming to be their medical provider.