Impersonators claiming to be from the Kentucky Board of Nursing have been making calls to registered nurses, falsely stating that their licenses are under investigation and asking for payment of a fine, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Kentucky Nurses Association to Becker's.
The incident prompted the Kentucky Nurses Association to issue an alert Jan. 18 to its members warning them about the scam callers.
"The impersonators have claimed that nurses are under investigation and/or that they have missed a court date," the KNA spokesperson said. "The most important thing to know from this is that the Kentucky Board of Nursing will always send a letter to your home if your license is under investigation. While KBN can't give details about an ongoing investigation, they can confirm or deny the existence of an investigation or issue with a license."
The spokesperson noted that if you receive a call you're concerned about related to your nursing license to hang up, call the Kentucky Board of Nursing and ask them to confirm or deny the case's existence.
"If you are being investigated, you will receive a letter, you will have a hearing and be made very aware of the court date," the spokesperson said. "If you feel blindsided by anything, that is a red flag. Importantly, do not pay anyone any money."
Other reports made about the matter have stated the caller claimed to be from a law enforcement department.
While it was not clear how many reports have been made about these calls exactly, the KNA spokesperson did confirm that the Board of Nursing is working with law enforcement to investigate this.