NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio — Peter Maizitis of North Royalton said he was stunned when he received a robocall on his home line posing as the Cleveland Clinic, just days after a surgical procedure he had last week.
Maizitis said the robocall even included his name and told him the Clinic had some health content it wanted him to review. The recorded message also included a call back number and a second recording that Maizitis explained asked for personal information.
“I was infuriated, It was like a home invasion," Maizitis said. “There’s a phone number there, and they’re identifying themselves as Cleveland Clinic.”
“It’s like a cut and paste audio file, where it says ‘This is Cleveland Clinic for Peter Maizitis’ and then it went on. I called the Cleveland Clinic up, talked to the operator, she called the number and she said that’s not our number and it’s not even accepting my call."
News 5 contacted the Cleveland Clinic about the robocalls, it confirmed the issue and sent the following statement:
We are aware some patients may be receiving phony robocalls claiming to follow-up after a recent medical procedure or appointment. If patients have concerns about an incoming call they received, they can contact their physician's office or a Cleveland Clinic customer service number
Cleveland Better Business Bureau President Sue McConnell warned consumers even if their caller ID shows a Cleveland Clinic number, they should be aware a con artist can spoof the real phone number and hijack their caller ID.
“Robocalls are an epidemic and just seems to get worse," McConnell said. “And they have become more and more sophisticated and their calls sound more and more believable.”
“If you’re getting a call and you don’t recognize the number that’s calling you, don’t answer the phone, well these robocallers can spoof other phone numbers. You should avoid providing any information until you can verify where this call is coming from. If it claims it’s from the Cleveland Clinic, call the Cleveland Clinic and see if they’re calling you.”
McConnell said it's still a good idea to sign-up for theNational Do Not Call Registryand get information though theOhio Attorney General's office, even though it's not a robocall cure all.
The Federal Trade Commission also hasresources and information on hw to fight back against robocalls.
Meanwhile, Maizitis is hoping the Cleveland Clinic will work toward determining the source of the imposter robocalls.
“I’m hoping that they do a good investigation, an excellent, competent, thorough investigation,” Maizitis said. “Only a low-life would do that. When you’re down and out, then they’re coming and they’re trying to take advantage of people.”
“I mean, imagine a senior that’s not savvy and their picking this phone up and they’re giving out all their personal information. I had this happen to me once with AARP and they got our information."
