Recent incidents have highlighted the problem of healthcare provider (HCP) impersonators. For instance, in 2025, police in Pennsylvania arrested a woman who had used approximately 20 aliases and seven Social Security numbers in her efforts to be hired as a nurse in various states; once hired, she diverted medications. This case represents just one of many impersonation incidents (sidebar #1).
Factors influencing HCP impersonators include staffing shortages, particularly those that have existed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortages put pressure on employers to hire quickly, which can lead to shortcuts when vetting applicants.
Despite staffing challenges, employers remain responsible for engaging in robust hiring and credentialing processes to protect patients from impersonators and HCPs who engage in fraudulent activities such as false certification claims. Failure to do so leaves the employer vulnerable to legal actions should patient harm occur.
Wide-ranging impact
HCP impersonation affects employers, staff, and patients.
Employers may fail to detect impersonation and fraud not only because of inadequate hiring processes or insufficient annual job performance reviews, but also because staff fail to identify the impersonator. Even when staff are suspicious of someone’s skillset or workplace actions, they may be reluctant to report the matter for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation from the impersonator and reluctance to lose another person who can assist with the workload. However, staff who do not report their suspicions are aiding in the deception and practicing unethical behavior by not acting to protect patients.
Avoidance and detection
Employers can help avoid impersonators and fraudulent activities by implementing and maintaining standardized hiring and credentialing practices, including using resources (sidebar #2) and taking the following steps:
- Verify licenses with the appropriate state board (e.g., nursing, pharmacy).
- Check credit records, social media posting, and the federal sanctions list.
- Check that the school the applicant graduated from is approved and accredited.
- Verify credentials by contacting the granting organization.
- Implement a multi-step identity check process, such as using both photo identification and biometrics.
- Check and verify professional and personal references.
- Be alert to application discrepancies, such as an unreasonable time it took to complete a degree. If an applicant states that the name on their license differs from the name on the application due to a marriage or divorce, request documentation to verify the change.
- If external agencies (such as staffing agencies or credential verification organizations) are vetting staff, conduct periodic audits to check for accuracy.
- Regularly audit employee licenses, certifications, and credentials.
Thorough background checks, which typically include prior convictions for state and federal criminal offenses, can be useful; however, employers should be aware of their limitations. Dunlap and Skillman point out that the evidence as to whether background checks are effective for assessing patient risk is mixed. They also note that background checks disproportionately negatively impact people of color and those with lower incomes. In addition, criminal records may contain errors and omissions, and the likelihood a person will commit a new crime decreases over time.
Therefore, it is essential to view the information from the background check as one component of the evaluation process and to ensure that human resources personnel are adequately trained to assess the findings appropriately. Organizations may also want to consider participating in the Federal Bonding Program, which provides insurance to employers who hire employees considered “high-risk” because of their conviction history.
Education about detecting impersonators is key. Human resources staff and others who will be reviewing job applications should receive fraud detection training.
Employees need a secure way to report their suspicions about possible impersonators and understand the importance of providing specific information that led to their suspicions. In addition, staff should know how to protect themselves from having their identity stolen by impersonators (sidebar #3).
Finally, the organization should have a policy on how to respond to suspected impersonation.
How to respond
Staff should not directly confront an individual suspected of impersonation or fraud; instead, they should report through designated channels and provide supporting documentation.
The person tasked with investigating the claim should check licenses and credentials and review documentation provided in the report. If there is concern, the employer should contact law enforcement and submit a complaint to the state board (including detailed information such as the individual’s name, dates, locations, and incidents), which will investigate the claim. Impersonation is grounds for terminating employment. Subsequent actions for the impersonator vary, but those convicted can face harsh consequences, including steep fines and prison time. For example, under Massachusetts law, anyone who “attempts to practice professional nursing under a false or assumed name shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for one year, or both.”
Protecting patients
Employers have a responsibility to protect patients from HCP impersonators and fraudulent activities. Strong hiring practices, regular audits, and quick action all play a role in preventing, detecting, and addressing problems promptly.
Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, of CLS Development, is a medical writer in Columbia, Md.
This article does not contain legal advice.
Sidebar #1
Nature of impersonation
Impersonation of healthcare professionals (HCPs) can occur in several ways, including the use of stolen identities, presenting fraudulent licenses or credentials (such as fake, forged, or expired ones), falsifying information (like work history), and concealing criminal records.
Although state boards often maintain lists of impersonators, there is no national registry. Here are a few examples of past cases that illustrate some of the strategies used.
In “Operation Nightingale,” multiple for-profit nursing schools in Florida fraudulently granted diplomas to nursing candidates who then used them to qualify for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
A woman who worked for Walgreens from late 2006 through 2017 used the license numbers of registered pharmacists to impersonate them and dispense prescriptions.
A woman allegedly posed as a physical therapist by using the contact information of another woman with a similar name and also posed as a nurse.
In October 2025, the Texas Board of Nursing issued imposter alerts for six individuals who employed various tactics. One imposter used a license number and other identification belonging to a nurse with a similar name and date of birth, while another used license numbers from multiple nurses.
A woman in Maryland used stolen nursing credentials and false educational and professional histories to obtain nursing positions (RN and LPN) in 40 facilities, most of which were skilled nursing facilities.
Sources: Associated Press. Walgreens to pay $7.5M in settlement over phony pharmacist. 2020; Texas Board of Nursing. Imposter alert. TBON Quarterly. 2025;56(4):23-25; United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida. Fraudulent nursing diploma scheme leads to federal charges against 25 defendants. 2023. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/fraudulent-nursing-diploma-scheme-leads-federal-charges-against-25-defendants; United States Attorney’s Office District of Maryland. Baltimore county woman admits to impersonating nurses, pleads guilty to aggravated identify theft. 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/baltimore-county-woman-admits-impersonating-nurses-pleads-guilty-aggravated-identity; Walker A. Fake nurse who posed as RN and physical therapist faces multiple felony charges. Nurse.org. 2024. https://nurse.org/news/fake-nurse-stole-identities/
Sidebar #2
Resources for employers
The following resources can help employers avoid hiring healthcare provider (HCP) impersonators and detect HCPs who engage in behavior such as using fraudulent credentials.
State boards and credentialing organizations. Professional state boards (e.g., nursing, pharmacy) and credentialing organizations can verify information provided by applicants; often the search can be quickly completed online. Here are a few examples of resources in this area:
- Employers can sign up for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s nursys program to receive regular email updates of changes to licenses, including disciplinary actions, from participating boards of nursing.
- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s NABPVerify allows pharmacists to apply for a digital badge (for a fee). The badge provides evidence of a license in good standing, and potential employers can use the badge to verify state-specific credentials.
- The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy has a webpage with links to each state’s license verification information.
- The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy provides an online means for verifying credentials.
State boards may also maintain a list of imposters, which can be useful. For example, in 2025, a man applying for an Atlanta nursing home job presented a nursing license due to expire in 2027, but staff found his name on the Georgia Board of Nursing imposter list. The man, who was arrested, had been using a forged license.
E-Verify. E-Verify compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm employment eligibility.
Guidelines, regulations, and standards. The Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) provide information related to practices to avoid impersonators. For example, The Joint Commission has requirements related to identification requirements when someone applies for credentials, and CMS requires background checks for all prospective providers and direct patient care employees of long-term care facilities. Employers should also check for state specific guidance.
Sidebar #3
Protecting against impersonation
Healthcare providers (HCPs) can take several steps to protect themselves again impersonation.
- Regularly check your license status online.
- Keep printed license cards secure.
- Protect personal information. Share items such as license and Social Security numbers cautiously. Shred information such as prescription bottle labels.
- Use strong passwords online and verify any request for personal information. (Impersonators often use scams and data breaches to obtain personal information.)
- Request a Social Security earnings statement each year and check to see that the list of employers is accurate.
- Review credit reports for unusual activity, which could indicate identity theft.
Prescribers should take additional precautions:
- Keep your DEA number secure, only sharing with authorized personnel. Be aware of possible scams. For example, in 2024, the New Orleans Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration warned of scam calls targeting doctors and pharmacists requesting sensitive information.
- Ensure that electronic prescribing systems are secure; keep prescription pads in a secure location.
- Maintain accurate records of controlled substances prescribed.
- Regularly monitor for unauthorized prescriptions.
If an HCP suspects they are being impersonated, they should notify their insurance provider and state board.
Sources: Benjamin A. Fake nurse case is a wake-up call to protect your license. Nurse.com. 2024. https://www.nurse.com/blog/fake-nurse-case-wake-up-call-protect-license; United States Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA warns healthcare workers of impersonation scam targeting doctors and pharmacists. 2024. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2024/10/24/dea-warns-healthcare-workers-impersonation-scam-targeting-doctors-and; Zivian Health. Navigating DEA compliance and prescribing as a nurse practitioner. 2025. https://zivianhealth.com/blog/navigating-dea-compliance-prescribing-nurse-practitioner/
References
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