AHA advises hospitals to be alert for potential 'vishing' attacks

The AHA is advising hospital executives to beware of “vishing” calls targeting hospital executives after learning of a recent attempt to target one hospital. The callers attempt to gain personal social security numbers for senior executives by posing as a representative of Medicare. Vishing is a form of identity theft and fraud where the caller aims to gain access to an individual’s personal information by posing as a familiar or otherwise trustworthy entity. The information obtained can be used to access and use the individual’s important accounts or create and open new lines of credit. Information about how to protect oneself from such phone scams can be found on the Federal Trade Commission’s web site at www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-phone-scams.