News from the Capitol

The Legislative Insider is published during the Legislative Session by the Georgia Dental Association. It contains updates on the activities of GDA's Government Affairs team as well as information about bills relevant to dentists and patient care.

Georgia Sees Uptick in Scammers Posing as Regulators

May 20, 2025
An increase in fraudulent phone calls requires increased vigilance from dental teams.

Last November, the Georgia Board of Dentistry posted a notice warning dentists about scammers calling around to dental offices posing as board staff. Phone calls to Georgia Dental Association and to the Board of Dentistry indicate that there has once again been an uptick in activity. Dentists can prepare their staff by keeping them informed about the signs that indicate a call might be fraudulent.


What are the signs of a fraudulent call?

Fraudulent calls to dental and medical offices are not new. Recent scam attempts involve callers posing as regulators conducting investigations. The purported reason for the investigation varies. Usually, the caller claims to be looking into some kind of misbehavior on the part of the provider. Reasons given in cases around the country have included Medicaid fraud, over-prescribing opioids, continuing education violations, and other invented infractions. Some calls have come from official sounding, but not quite real regulatory organizations, or from organizations that do not have a role in investigating the topic they claim to be investigating.

The Georgia Board of Dentistry will not contact a dentist by phone, and they will never ask for funds for any reason. Regulatory agencies in general will not ask for money, ask you to respond to an action in less than 20 days, advise you against speaking with a lawyer, or ask you to confirm personal details. Scammers often attempt to manufacture urgency in order to fool someone into providing information they would not otherwise provide. If you suspect you are being contacted fraudulently, you can always hang up and call the appropriate authority to confirm.


What steps can be taken to protect a dental practice from this kind of fraud?

Protecting sensitive information is a team sport. To prevent falling for scam phone calls, it is important to train staff to stay vigilant.

  • Providing routine security awareness training can help prevent sensitive information from being shared with bad actors
  • When in doubt, verify through an official phone number or contact
  • Be wary of suspicious links, email attachments, and cold calls
  • Conduct a risk analysis to identify gaps in information security
  • Remember to slow things down and consider details that don’t meet expectations
  • Report to the appropriate authorities, including federal and state divisions

Working together helps prevent harm from scammer’s tactics.