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Genesee County Health Department (GCHD) is alerting the community of a phone scam targeting residents of Genesee County.
A Genesee County resident received a phone call from someone impersonating an employee of the Genesee County Health Department regarding a health department funded grant that this resident qualified for. The scammer then went on to ask the resident for their bank information in order to apply for this grant. Luckily, after asking for the scammer’s name and badge number, the resident hung up and decided to call the health
department to report this call, where they confirmed that the scammer was not an employee and it was a
scam. Genesee County residents should be advised that the GCHD would never call and ask for your bank account information.
“If you receive a call and are unsure if it is a scam, ask the caller for their name, a return phone number and avoid sharing any personal information over the phone,” said Dr. Pamela Hackert, medical health officer for Genesee County.
“Report suspicious behavior to the authorities,” Hackert added.
Concerned residents can report scam calls by calling the non-emergency phone number at the
local police or Sheriff’s Office.
Avoid becoming a victim of phone scams or identity theft by:
Making a list of contact information for family members, close friends, health providers or
anyone who may call regularly. This will help you know if the call is legitimate.
Letting a call go to voicemail if you do not recognize a phone number; Scammers rarely
leave messages.
Hanging up if a stranger asks for personal or financial information. If you do answer the
phone, it’s OK to hang up.
Not sharing any personal information such as your social security number to anyone over
the telephone.
For free up-to-date public health information, visit www.gchd.us or find the Genesee County Health Department on Facebook.
