The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is warning medical professionals, particularly nurses, about a phone scam in which fraudsters impersonate state officials.

Individuals posing as state officials are contacting current and former LPNs, RNs and APRNs and falsely claiming that an investigation has been opened against them.

Scammers may request personal information or, in some cases, solicit wire transfers. While recent incidents have primarily targeted nursing professionals, dental professionals, pharmacists and other medical licensees have also been targeted.

Here are a few tips:

• Only the 52 licensing boards, commissions and programs attached to the DCCA’s Professional and Vocational Licensing division have authority to discipline a professional license. Discipline occurs only after proper notification to the subject and investigation by the Regulated Industries Complaints Office.

• Like the PVL, RICO is an independent agency within the DCCA that performs investigative and prosecutorial functions only. During the course of an investigation, RICO communicates with subjects in writing through official letterhead only. RICO investigators will never ask for sensitive personal information over the phone or request wire transfers.

• State departments, such as the Departments of Health or Human Services, have no authority to suspend, revoke or investigate a professional license issued by one of the 52 boards, commissions and programs under the PVL division of the DCCA.

If you receive a suspicious call, advice is to hang up immediately without providing any personal information. Do not rely on caller ID. Scammers can spoof official government numbers.

People should verify independently by contacting the agency directly using a phone number from the official DCCA website at cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/contact/

People can report the call to their respective licensing board or contact PVL directly at 1-844-808-3222 Extension #1. A full list of licensing programs and contact information for each are available at cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/.