Ohio Residents Warned About Phone Scam

Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson is warning Ohioans about a telephone scam that has been identified.

The scam begins when the caller tells the consumer that there has been a problem processing their insurance payment. The caller then informs the consumer that they will need to obtain some personal information (i.e. a social security number, date of birth, etc.) from them, as well as their bank account information, so they can attempt to rectify the situation. They further inform the consumer that their policy will lapse if they do not provide their bank account information.

Hudson is providing the following tips so consumers do not fall victim to this phone scam:

• Be cautious about anyone other than your insurance agent contacting you about your insurance policy.

• Beware of imposters. Crooks pretend to be from companies you do business with and may call you claiming they need to verify your personal information. Be especially suspicious if someone contacts you and asks you to provide information they should already have. Before responding, get the caller’s name and telephone number and then contact your insurance carrier directly to confirm if the call was legitimate. If the caller will not provide a phone number, try to get it by using the caller ID function on your telephone.

• Keep your social security number confidential. It’s the key that unlocks your identity. Don’t give it to anyone unless you’re sure who it is and why it’s necessary to provide it.

• Don't provide financial information over the telephone, especially to someone you don’t know. Do not provide any credit card of bank account information until you have an opportunity to contact your insurance agent directly about the matter.

The Department is asking anyone who has received this type of phone call to contact the Department’s Fraud hotline, 1-800-686-1527.