AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin and Travis County are urging people to be aware, after reports of people trying to scam residents into giving them personal information by pretending to be Austin Public Health employees.
In a release sent Friday, the city said the suspected persons or groups are utilizing a “spoofed” phone number using the APH Environmental Health Services main line, which is listed as (512) 978-0300 in order to scam people.
The city said teams are working to stop them from using APH’s phone number.
The city wants to remind people that APH will not ask for Social Security, Medicaid, insurance, immigration or financial information.
Occasionally, APH employees will reach out through phone or email, but staff will identify themselves and give contact information for follow-up questions. Even further, the city said APH staff will usually confirm details they’ve already gotten from hospitals or labs instead of asking for that information from you.
If you think you’re getting a scam call, the city asks you to request the name, title and call back number from the APH “employee.” You are able to verify the information with the city by calling 311 to ask for that specific person. This will ensure you are speaking directly with an APH staff member.
Officials will continue to look into the scammers, the city said.
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