Memo regarding possible insurance licensing telephone scam

THE STATE OF WYOMING Mark Gordon Department of Insurance Jeffrey P. Rude Governor Commissioner 106 E. 6th Ave. ▪ Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 November 18, 2021 INSURANCE LICENSE SCAM WARNING It has come to the Department’s attention that a common fraud scheme has been adapted to target people who hold insurance licenses. In this scheme, scam artists identify themselves as Department of Insurance staff or investigators and notify the licensee that they are under investigation, that their license may be suspended or revoked, or that an arrest warrant has been issued in the licensee’s name. They will then request money to “resolve the problem”. This scheme is similar in nature to the well-known schemes where scam artists will identify themselves as FBI, Social Security, or IRS agents. The callers may also be “spoofing” phone numbers to make the calls appear to be coming from the State of Wyoming. While we have not heard of this particular scam being targeted towards Wyoming insurance licensees yet, it is best to be aware that it has been an issue in other states. If you do receive a call, ask the person calling to verify personal information that would be stored in our systems but not accessible to the public. This information could be a residence address, date of birth, or personal email address. The Wyoming Department of Insurance will NEVER request any form of payment other than a check. We cannot accept credit cards over the phone, and we have no desire to be paid in gift cards. Please note that the Wyoming Department of Insurance may ask you to verify your social security number if you cannot produce your license number or national producer number. Be sure you are certain that you are speaking to a staff member of the Department of Insurance before giving out any personal information! If you are unsure, hang up, call the main line of the Department at 307-777-7401, and ask to speak with the person that called you. The Wyoming Department of Insurance is committed to keeping personal information secure. If you ever have any suspicions that your information has been compromised please contact the Department at wyinsdep@wyo.gov or 307-777-7401. Sincerely, Bryan Stevens Licensing Supervisor Administration (307) 777-7401 ▪Fax (307) 777-2446 ▪https://doi.wyo.gov/ ▪Licensing (307) 777-7319 ▪Consumer Affairs (307) 777-7402