Submitted by PeaceHealth Hospital.

PeaceHealth Hospital has received reports of recent phone scams — or “vishing” scams — impacting patients in the Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan areas. Scammers are pretending to be from PeaceHealth or other health agencies and attempting to steal personal information or private health details over the phone.

The scammers may already have some personal information they collected through other sources to appear legitimate. Another tactic the scammers may use is to manipulate the caller ID to appear that the call is coming from PeaceHealth.

It’s important to know that PeaceHealth would never pressure patients to provide personal information. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately and call your provider’s office directly to verify if there is a legitimate need for any information.

Other suggestions to keep you safe:

• Consider letting unexpected calls or numbers you don’t recognize go to voicemail.

• Do not engage the scammer or call them back if you receive a suspicious voicemail.

• Never give personal or financial data, such as your Social Security number or credit card account number, to callers you don’t know. If they say they have the information and just need you to confirm it, that’s a trick.

• If you feel threatened, call the police.

• You’re encouraged to report any vishing or phone scam activity to the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.

• Read more information from the FTC on how to recognize phone scams, https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0208-phone-scams.