U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The Virgin Islands Department of Health is alerting licensed healthcare providers and employers across the Territory to a series of fraudulent phone calls in which individuals falsely claim that professional licenses have been suspended, revoked, or are under investigation.

Reports, received today, indicate that these calls appear to originate from the Department of Health’s main telephone number, “340-718-1311.” This is a tactic known as “spoofing,” in which callers manipulate the caller ID to make it seem as though the call is coming from a trusted or official source.

The VI Department of Health confirms that it has not revoked any licenses and is not making these calls.

“We want to be very clear: the Department of Health is not contacting providers by phone to threaten or take immediate action against their licenses,” said VI Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion. “These calls are fraudulent. We urge our healthcare professionals to remain vigilant, protect their personal and professional information, and report any suspicious activity immediately.”

The Department advises all licensees and healthcare organizations to take the following precautions:

• Do not provide personal, professional, or licensure information over the phone
• Do not engage with or respond to suspicious callers
• End the call immediately
• Report the incident to the Department of Health

Suspicious calls should be reported to: Renise James, Acting Director of Licensure at Renise.James@doh.vi.gov.

Official communications regarding licensure actions are conducted through formal written correspondence and verified Department channels.

The VI Department of Health is actively investigating these reports and working with appropriate partners to address the issue. Additional updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

The Department encourages all healthcare providers to remain alert and to share this information with colleagues to prevent further incidents.