It’s not just unpaid tolls. You may be getting phony calls from a KY hospital, too
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Scammers are spoofing Saint Joseph Hospital numbers to solicit information.
- Calls often mention Medicaid or new legislation to pressure victims for data.
- Authorities urge reporting scams and avoiding engagement with fake calls.
Lexington residents should be on the lookout for fraudulent calls after Saint Joseph Hospital announced this week scammers have been spoofing its phone numbers to target the community.
According to an alert from the hospital, the calls often reference changes to Medicare and Medicaid and the recent passage of the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” pressuring victims to turn over personal or financial information.
“Saint Joseph Hospital will NEVER call to solicit or request personal or financial information related to Medicare or Medicaid enrollment, changes, or any legislation,” the hospital said in a news release. “Our legitimate communications regarding your care will always be handled with the highest level of privacy and will never involve unsolicited requests for sensitive data over the phone in this manner.”
If you receive a call like this, the hospital is advising residents to immediately hang up the phone and avoid engaging with the caller.
The calls posing as Saint Joseph come as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and other state agencies combat scammers soliciting payment through phony texts about unpaid tolls. That scam has been particularly widespread.
Scam calls may be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, with an online report or by calling 888-432-9257.
Don’t get tricked by spoofed caller ID scams
It was already easy for scammers to spoof any number they wish using existing technology, but generative artificial intelligence enables even more convincing scams.
While avoiding scams may seem like common sense, this type of fraud is lucrative and successful. Older Kentuckians are particularly vulnerable to scams, and in 2023, that demographic lost more than $12 million to such schemes.
The Federal Communications Commission advises it’s not always easy to tell right away when a number is being faked. If you’re asked to provide personal information, be careful and follow these tips:
- Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you do, hang up.
- If you do answer the phone and the caller or a recording asks you to hit a button to stop receiving the calls, just hang up. Scammers sometimes use this trick to identify potential victims.
- Don’t respond to any question, particularly yes or no questions.
- It’s generally a bad idea to give out personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers or passwords, especially when prompted by unsolicited callers.
- If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a company or government agency representative, hang up the phone and call the number on your account statement. You can look in the phone book or on the company or agency’s website. Remember that you’ll typically get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call about a payment.
- If you’re pressured to turn over information immediately, that’s a red flag.
- Make sure your phone’s voicemail has a password. In some cases, voicemail services are set up to provide access when calling in from your own phone number. A scammer could spoof your number and get access to your voicemail.
- Look into tools and apps for blocking robocalls. More information is available at fcc.gov/robocalls.
Registering with the National Do Not Call list, can also help filter some unwanted telemarketer calls, but you may still receive some unsolicited calls from charities, political groups, debt collectors and surveys.
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