Wyoming is warning businesses of an OSHA-related telephone scam. Do these things even work?

From the state’s Department of Workforce Services press release on the scam:

The recipients of the fraudulent calls are told that they need to purchase an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance package for $249.50. If the purchase is not made, the scam claims that the business will undergo an OSHA inspection.

In this day and age when “princes from Dubai” routinely email people with claims of million-dollar awards if they only provide their bank account number, I find it astonishing such scoundrels actually find success in these scams.

Maybe it was the (relatively) low amount for the “compliance package” or the threat of an OSHA inspection that led the swindlers to believe their scam might work.

What do you think? If someone from “U.S. Federal Labor Compliance” – the organization the scammers claimed to be calling from – dialed you up and demanded $250 for an OSHA package or face the wrath of the enforcement agency, what would you do? Have you been conned before, or do you know anyone who has? Let me know in the comments below (which will be anonymous).

Also, read an article on avoiding fraud from the March issue of Safety+Health magazine.

The opinions expressed in "Washington Wire" do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.