DEA/Medical Board License Revocation Impersonation Scam

Overview

Scammers posing as DEA agents or state licensing board staff call or mail letters to doctors, dentists, nurses, and other licensed professionals, falsely claiming their license is under investigation or about to be revoked unless they pay fees or hand over personal information.

How It Works

Fraudsters call, email, or send fake letterhead mail to licensed practitioners claiming to be DEA agents or state medical/dental board investigators, reciting a fabricated badge number and alleging the victim's professional license is expiring, suspended, or was used in a crime. The FBI's September 2026 update to its law-enforcement impersonation warning notes that scammers may accuse medical practitioners of having an expiring medical license or claim their license was used in the commission of a crime, then threaten to revoke the practitioner's license, compelling the practitioner to pay to renew their license or protect their professional reputation

Red Flags

• Caller claims to be a DEA 'Officer' and opens by reciting a badge number before explaining the call
• Demands for payment via prepaid cards, wire transfers, cash mailed or deposited into cryptocurrency ATMs/kiosks, or gift cards
• Urgent, aggressive tone insisting you not tell colleagues, family, or your actual licensing board about the call
• Threats to suspend or revoke a professional license unless you pay immediately or provide personal/financial information
• Fake letters on official-looking board letterhead with forged signatures of real board executives

Real Examples

• The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure reported that several Mississippi physicians, including the board's own executive director, received voicemails from callers claiming to be DEA officers with fake badge numbers, alleging the physicians were under investigation for 'illegal activity' and threatening license suspension or revocation if they did not call back quickly.
• The Mississippi board separately warned licensees about fraudulent letters on forged board letterhead, with a forged signature of the Executive Director, falsely notifying recipients that their medical license had been suspended due to federal criminal charges.
• The FBI's nationwide PSA update reported that between January 2025 and July 2026 it received 3,322 IC3 complaints specifically for this license-threat variant of government impersonation fraud, with losses totaling more than $37 million.

Where It Spreads

How to Protect Yourself

• Hang up and independently look up and call your licensing board or the DEA Diversion hotline directly rather than calling back a number given by the caller
• Remember that real DEA agents and licensing boards do not call demanding immediate payment or threaten arrest/license loss over the phone
• Never send payment via prepaid cards, wire transfer, cryptocurrency ATM, or gift cards to resolve a licensing or legal matter
• Verify any letter or email by contacting your board through its official published phone number or website, not contact info included in the suspicious message
• Report suspicious calls or letters to ic3.gov, reportfraud.ftc.gov, and your professional board's investigations division

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