Scammers will take your money however they can get it and the Vernal City Police Department has announced yet another scam to watch for that has been affecting locals. “An Ashley Regional Medical Center patient had lab work ordered by a doctor and completed,” shares the announcement. “The patient later received a phone call with no caller ID from someone who identified themselves as working for Ashley Regional Medical Center. The Caller stated that the lab work was completed and that the patient could have early access to it if a $50 dollar fee was paid to them over the telephone. Fortunately, the patient did not do what they asked and reported the incident to law enforcement.” Vernal PD investigated the situation and wants the community to know that medical providers, including Ashley Regional Medical Center, DO NOT charge for the patient to receive their lab results. Standard procedure is for lab results to be sent to the physician who then gives the results to the patient. A patient can also obtain a copy of lab results free from the testing lab. This is just one of countless examples of scams going on using the telephone and internet, which are becoming more common. Please use caution when asked to provide account information or money to an unsolicited caller, shares Vernal PD, who recommends verifying any caller’s information
