The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) has been made aware of fraudulent phone calls, letters, and emails claiming to be from DPOR employees. Requests for payment or personal information should always be verified using the methods below.

Be aware that license numbers, licensee names, and addresses of record are all public information. Do not be fooled into thinking a call, email, or physical mailing is legitimate only because someone has this information. Instead, verify that you’re talking to a DPOR representative in the following ways:

Compliance and Investigations

If a DPOR investigator is telephoning you regarding a complaint, you should have already received written notice of the complaint and asked to provide a response to the complaint. When in doubt:

• Ask for the case number.

• Ask for the investigator’s call-back number.

• Ask for the name of the investigator’s supervisor.

• Call us at (804) 367-8500 to verify the authenticity of the communication.

Licensing

If you receive suspicious communications regarding your license, license requirements, or owing money to any DPOR Board:

• Verify the identity of DPOR staff members by asking for their name.

• Ask for the name of the employee’s supervisor.

• Call us at the applicable Board’s phone number to verify the authenticity of the communication, contact information is available by selecting your Board here.

• You can always ask to call us right back on the Board’s line to verify identity.

Emails from DPOR staff will always end in @dpor.virginia.gov or @virginiadpor.ccsend.com (our Constant Contact account). DPOR will never contact you to demand immediate payment using a prepaid debit card, gift card, or wire transfer. DPOR staff will never send an email from a Gmail or Yahoo address. DPOR will never call expressly to obtain sensitive information such as your Social Security Number. DPOR will never ask or pressure you to pay a fine over the phone to avoid having your license terminated.

Scam emails often promise the opportunity of possible grant funding or indicate the recipient has received a secure message and can access it by saving and opening it. Please do not click the links or reply. Always be very cautious of any unsolicited email messages, especially those with links and attachments.

If any of these situations occur, please contact DPOR’s main reception line at (804) 367-8500 immediately. If you have any other questions or concerns about communications alleging to be from DPOR, please contact Communications and Digital Media Manager John Robertson at (804) 367-0673.