If the Texas Department of State Health Services is calling you, the call is most likely legitimate. DSHS reaches out for a narrow set of reasons — communicable disease follow-up, newborn screening results, and vital records questions — and a real representative will identify themselves, reference something specific to your situation, and let you hang up and call back through a verified number. Scam calls impersonating the agency exist, but they give themselves away by asking for money, full Social Security numbers, or immediate payment through gift cards or wire transfers.
Why DSHS Would Be Calling You
DSHS has statutory authority under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 12 to investigate matters affecting public health and to cooperate with other agencies to protect Texans.1State of Texas. Texas Code Health and Safety Code 12 – Public Health Provisions In practice, calls to residents fall into three buckets.
Communicable Disease Follow-Up
This is the most common reason. Texas maintains a long list of notifiable conditions — tuberculosis, measles, salmonella, and dozens more — that health care providers must report to the state.2Texas Department of State Health Services. Notifiable Conditions If your provider reported a diagnosis, or if someone you were around was diagnosed, a DSHS epidemiologist or nurse may call. They’ll ask about symptoms, recent contacts, travel, and close household members. These investigations are strictly public health work and are not connected to law enforcement or immigration.
Newborn Screening Results
Every baby born in Texas gets two rounds of bloodspot screening for more than 50 genetic and metabolic disorders.3Texas Department of State Health Services. Newborn Screening – Frequently Asked Questions When results come back out of range, DSHS clinical care coordination staff work with the baby’s doctor, and someone will contact the parents to arrange next steps.4Texas Department of State Health Services. Newborn Screening Parent Resources These calls are urgent. Some of the conditions require treatment within days to prevent serious harm, so if you’re a new parent and you see a call from DSHS, pick up or call back quickly.
Vital Records Questions
DSHS maintains birth and death certificates, marriage applications, and divorce records for the state.5Texas Department of State Health Services. Vital Statistics If you submitted an application with a misspelled name, mismatched date, or missing detail, staff sometimes call to fix the problem rather than reject the paperwork.
What a Real Caller Will and Won’t Ask For
Legitimate DSHS staff identify themselves by name and program, and they can reference something concrete — a case number, an application ID, a recent medical visit. They’ll ask for your full name and date of birth to confirm they have the right person. For disease investigations, they’ll ask health questions and about people you’ve been in contact with. That can feel invasive; it’s how contact tracing works.
What a real DSHS employee will never ask for:
- Your full Social Security number. Confirming the last four digits for identity verification is normal; a request for all nine over the phone is a red flag.
- Bank account numbers, credit card details, or routing information. Disease and records calls do not involve your finances.
- Payment by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or a peer-to-peer payment app. No state employee will tell you to buy gift cards to resolve a health matter.
- Immediate payment of a “fine” to avoid arrest. DSHS does not threaten residents with jail during a routine call.
Vital records do have real fees — a certified birth certificate is $22 and a death certificate is $20 for the first copy — but those are paid through the DSHS online portal or by mail, not collected over the phone during an outbound call.6Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees
Urgency, threats, and unusual payment demands are the reliable signals of a scam. Caller ID is not, on its own, proof of anything: fraudsters spoof government numbers routinely. If a call feels wrong, hang up and dial DSHS yourself.
Do You Have to Cooperate?
Most of the time, no one is going to force you to answer questions on the phone. Routine surveys and records inquiries are voluntary, and you won’t face any consequence for declining or hanging up.
Communicable disease investigations are different. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 81.061 says individuals “shall provide records and other information to the department on request according to the department’s written instructions.”7State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 81.061 – Investigation If DSHS or a local health authority issues a formal control order — quarantine, isolation, required testing — and you knowingly refuse to comply, criminal penalties can follow. Refusing entry to an investigator conducting an inspection is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable in Texas by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.8State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 81.068 – Refusing Entry or Inspection Criminal Penalty
A phone call almost never rises to that level. But knowing the legal backdrop makes it easier to understand why a disease investigator’s questions are pointed, and why cooperating is generally the right move even when the questions feel personal.
How to Verify the Call
The simplest way to confirm you’re talking to a real DSHS employee is to hang up and call the agency yourself. Use one of the published numbers, not a number the caller gives you.
- Main switchboard: 512-776-7111
- Toll-free general line and vital statistics: 888-963-7111
- Immunization program: 800-252-9152
These numbers, along with direct lines for other programs, are on the DSHS contact page.9Texas Department of State Health Services. Contact Us If you have the caller’s name, the switchboard can route you to their office. A legitimate representative will not object to being called back through a verified number — they’d rather you check than share information with someone impersonating them.
Reporting a Suspected Impersonation Scam
If you think someone posed as a DSHS employee to try to get your money or personal information, report it in two places.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the central federal portal for government impersonation scams.10Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov Also contact the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-621-0508 or file online through the Attorney General’s site.11Texas Attorney General. Consumer Alert – AG Warns of Scammers Impersonating Government Entities Reports help investigators spot patterns and shut down operations before they reach more Texans.