Virginia City bed and breakfast avoids scam

A mysterious caller contacted a Virginia City bed and breakfast accusing the owners of violating state health and safety laws, and demanding $200.

Gena Wood, owner with her husband, Jeff, of the Chollar Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Virginia City, received such a call recently from a woman who identified herself as Jane Matthews and said she represented the state health department.

"She said she was the senior state health inspector," Wood said. "She said I had not responded to a letter she had sent, which put me into noncompliance with the law for having safety posters around for employees."

Wood doesn't have any employees, as she and her husband run the historic mansion themselves, but the woman told her for $400 she could get four years' worth of licensing and certification and inspection schedules. She also told Wood her office would be doing surprise inspections and the business could be fined if found to be not in compliance.

Later, Wood said, the woman said since the Chollar Mansion was a bed and breakfast, the cost would be only $200.

"She was very intimidating and was yelling at me on the phone for not responding to this correspondence," she said, adding that the mansion never received any such correspondence.

Wood reported the incident to the real senior state health inspector, Richard Elloyan, who told her it was a scam.

She said she checked with the four other bed and breakfasts in Virginia City and none of them had received similar calls.

The woman told Wood she had to order the packet and pay the money.

"She just said, 'I have your name and address and we're going to send it to you and you will receive a bill and you better pay that bill,'" Wood said. "It was sort of scary how much information she did have on me. She knew how long we had been at this B&B and our phone numbers."

Wood said she took the packet that arrived at her mailbox to the state Attorney General's office, where she was told it was a legitimate product, but not presented in a legitimate way. The state is investigating.

The company involved is Federal Medical Supplies out of Florida, and it provides OSHA-accepted first-aid kits and other safety materials. But when called, the phone number only has an answering machine or voicemail. A call to the number was not returned.

John Flamm, public information officer for the state Health Division, said this was the first he had heard of such a scam.

"To impersonate a state officer is a serious crime," he said. "All of our employees have ID cards and can provide you with a state ID number, along with something official in writing from the state."

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.