Page 4 - Demo

4 Harris County Physician Newsletter %u2022 August 2025 %u2022 www.hcms.org%u2022 Go back to First PageScam watch! %u2013 DEA impersonatorsHave you been contacted by someone claiming to be with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), but something just didn%u2019t feel right? You are not alone!The DEA is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personally identifiable information.DEA personnel will never contact physicians or members of the public to demand money or any other form of payment, will never request personal or sensitive information, and will only notify people of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by official letter.If you or your office staff receive a phone call from someone claiming to be with the DEA, do not provide the caller with any information. Instead, ask the caller for his or her name and phone number and end the conversation.However, do NOT call that number back. Instead, if you wish to determine whether the call might be %u201clegitimate,%u201d you can look up the main number of the DEA on the agency%u2019s official website www.dea.gov, call the main number, and ask to speak with that person. You may find that no one at the DEA contacted you, and instead, the caller was a scam artist with a good story and a phone number similar to the agency%u2019s.Anyone receiving a call from a person claiming to be with the DEA should report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. Also, the Federal Trade Commission provides recovery steps, shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies, and takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.We encourage our members and their staff to be on the alert for these types of scams.Source: DEA, From the HCMS Board of EthicsIN MEMORIAMRemembering Dr. Charles BaileyFormer HCMS President Dr. Charles W. %u201cBill%u201d Bailey, Jr. passed away peacefully on July 24, in Austin, Texas. A physician, attorney, and civic leader, Dr. Bailey dedicated his life to public service and advancing healthcare in Texas. He practiced plastic surgery in Houston for over 30 years and served as President of the Harris County Medical Society (1993-1994), the Texas Medical Association (2003-2004), and several state and local surgical societies. Appointed to the Texas Supreme Court Jury Task Force and the Medical Disclosure Panel, he played a vital role in shaping state health policy. Dr. Bailey also served on the boards of the Texas Medical Center, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank, the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, and UT%u2019s Marine Science Institute Advisory Council. A passionate advocate for medical education and tort reform, he was also a rare dual-degree physician and attorney. His enduring legacy is one of leadership, civic commitment, and public trust.