Ghost Hunt
The first public OSINT operation built to expose ghost networks — and a vetted volunteer corps, the Knox-Keene Ghost Busters, who verify provider directories clinic by clinic to find out whether the specialists your plan lists actually exist.
We’re building it right now
Ghost Hunt is in active development. We’re standing up the infrastructure, the volunteer vetting, and the public forum that will host verified investigations. This page explains the plan. Public tips and volunteer applications are not open yet — check back soon, or read on to see what’s coming.
The mission
Regulators test a sample. We want to check them all.
Health plans publish directories full of providers who can’t be reached, aren’t taking patients, or were never really there. The State tests a sample of listings. Ghost Hunt’s goal is bigger: a public, hosted forum where volunteers systematically work through every managed health care plan’s (MHCP) provider directory.
For every listed provider, volunteers cross-check the NPI Registry and the California DCA licensing boards (Medical Board, Dental Board, and others) to confirm a listed “specialist” is actually licensed in that specialty — then call the clinics, and where it is lawful and attorney-approved, verify in the field. The biggest red flag we’re hunting: the same “specialist” listed at many different clinics across a whole region.
What “OSINT” means here
Open-Source Intelligence — research using only public, lawful sources: published provider directories, the public NPI Registry, public license lookups, and attorney-reviewed public-records methods. No hacking. No trespassing. No harassment. No impersonation beyond lawful secret-shopper practices. Everything we publish must be backed by evidence and verified.
How it will work
Two ways to take part
Report a ghost — or a ghost loop
Think you’re being “ghost looped,” or spotted a directory listing that looks fake? At launch you’ll be able to send us what you found. We screen every submission. If we believe we can help, we’ll reply with a safe way to connect.
You do not need any credentials to help here. Your experience and your eyes are valuable.
Become a Knox-Keene Ghost Buster
The Ghost Busters are the volunteers we partner with directly — the real-world researchers, fact-checkers, and “secret shoppers” who do the hard verification. Joining involves a real application, an interview, and a signed Volunteer Agreement, with roles based on your experience or credentials.
Every investigation a Ghost Buster verifies is published with a “Verified by a Knox-Keene Ghost Buster” stamp.
Read this before you ever send us anything
- NEVER email us personal information. Do not send your date of birth, home address, phone number, member ID, or medical records. If a submission contains personal details, that’s a problem — leave them out.
- We screen every request. If we think we can help, we’ll respond with a safe next step (for example, a number to call). Sending us information does not create any relationship and does not guarantee we can do anything.
- This is not legal or medical advice. For legal help, contact a lawyer. For a medical emergency or any health concern, call your doctor or 911.
- If we publish your story, the bar is high. You’ll need to provide substantial evidence, and everything will be rigorously checked and independently verified first.
The hunt
How a Ghost Hunt investigation runs
A repeatable, evidence-first pipeline — every step uses lawful, public sources.
Map the directory
Pull every provider a plan lists for a region or specialty from its public .
Verify identity (NPI)
Check each provider against the public NPI Registry — does this person/entity actually exist as listed?
Verify license & specialty
Use California DCA boards (Medical, Dental, etc.) to confirm an active license — and that the listed “specialist” really holds that specialty.
Spot the ghost pattern
Flag the tell-tale signal: the same specialist listed at many clinics across a region, or addresses that don’t add up.
Secret-shop the listing
Call the clinics as a prospective patient to confirm whether the specialist actually practices there and can see plan members — the method.
Attorney-approved field check
Where appropriate, conduct lawful, attorney-reviewed public verification of clinics that list the same phantom specialist.
Document the evidence
Compile screenshots, call logs, dates, and license records into a clean, reviewable case file.
Verify & publish
A Knox-Keene Ghost Buster independently verifies the file. Confirmed findings are published with the stamp below.
Tie it to the law
Each finding is mapped to the standards it implicates — , SB 530, and provider-directory accuracy duties.
The stamp that will appear on every independently verified investigation.
Join the hunt
Who we’re looking for
Different roles for different people — by experience, credentials, or simply the will to help.
People who’ve been harmed
If a health plan’s ghost network hurt you, your experience is evidence and your insight is invaluable.
Researchers & fact-checkers
OSINT-minded volunteers for directory audits, NPI and license lookups, and careful documentation.
“Secret shoppers”
Volunteers who call clinics to confirm whether a listed specialist is real, reachable, and available.
Attorneys & firms
Lawyers to guide lawful methods and “ghost-hunting,” and firms looking to help bring relief to harmed members.
Journalists & storytellers
Reporters who can responsibly tell verified stories and amplify what the evidence shows.
Anyone who cares
People who care about humanity and want to help protect California’s most vulnerable populations.
Want in when we launch?
Sign-ups and the public forum are coming soon. When Ghost Hunt opens, this is how it will work:
Public tips
A screened tip line for the public. No personal information.
Channel opening at launch — not active yet.
Ghost Buster applications
Application → interview → Volunteer Agreement.
Opening at launch — not active yet.
We’ll publish the official, screened contact channels here at launch. Until then, please don’t send sensitive information anywhere.