Here’s why you shouldn’t trust calls from Beaufort Memorial Hospital right now

If you get a call from what you believe is Beaufort Memorial Hospital, be careful before you give out any information.

The hospital was alerted Tuesday about a phone scam, in which individuals are falsifying the information on recipients’ caller ID screens to make the call appear to be coming from Beaufort Memorial Hospital, according to a news release.

Local residents have reported to the hospital that the scammers are making a variety of requests, from soliciting Social Security Numbers or credit card information to attempting to sell goods or services.

“Although it does not appear to be a widespread issue, we want to make the community aware of the scam to ensure that no one inadvertently shares information with someone who is falsely representing themselves,” Willard Fosberry, director of information systems at Beaufort Memorial, said in a press release.

The hospital advises local residents who receive a call from a Beaufort Memorial Hospital number to ask the caller for specific identifying information, including name and position, department and call-back number. Then, call the hospital’s main number at 843-522-5200 and ask the switchboard operator to directly transfer you to the appropriate person or department, the press release said.

“Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone representing themselves as a BMH employee without screening the caller, then verifying the information by calling the extension yourself” Fosberry said in a press release. “And, if a caller is asking for bill payment or personal identifying information, hang up and call the phone number on your billing statement.”

According to Fosberry, there is no evidence that there was a breach of the hospital’s medical records, and the calls appear to be random, targeting Beaufort County residents.

The hospital has notified its phone carrier, CenturyLink, as well as local and federal agencies, including the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission, the news release stated.

You can report scams to your local phone carrier or to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs by calling 844-835-5322 or by visiting http://www.consumer.sc.gov/IdentityTheft/Pages/Scams.aspx

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Here’s why you shouldn’t trust calls from Beaufort Memorial Hospital right now."