Maine service providers and advocates are raising the alarm about the possibility that recruiters may be targeting homeless people to go to out-of-state detox centers.

The Maine Statewide Homeless Council this week issued an announcement, warning about reports of individuals “presenting themselves as outreach workers” who approach people who are homeless and have substance use disorders to offer connections to treatment programs outside of Maine.

“Local nonprofits are concerned that outreach efforts may be a form of patient brokering — a term that describes referrals to specific clinics in exchange for illegal kickbacks or bribes,” the announcement said.

The homeless council in the announcement said it could not verify the reports. It said there have been reports of people being approached in Portland, Lewiston and Bangor.

In Bangor, the police department and the FBI are investigating reported referrals. The Bangor Daily News reported last week that people have been approached with offers of rehab or detox placements in California.

Sgt. Jeremy Brock confirmed Bangor police have an “open and active” investigation after receiving several complaints in recent weeks but would not provide additional details. He said the FBI is involved in the investigation. A spokesperson for the agency said she could not comment.

City and police officials in Portland and Lewiston said they have not received reports about recruiters.

According to the homeless council’s announcement, recruiters have reportedly approached people with “flashy brochures showing program residency in mansions, business cards with inconsistent contact information, vague program details, promises of free transportation, and everything you need to get to California or other inviting locations.”

“During the coldest winter months, the promise of free transportation and housing in a warmer location across the country may be highly appealing, and individuals may feel understandably drawn to such offers with little encouragement,” the announcement said.

Multiple service providers in Portland said they had been told by other providers that at least one couple took a recruiter up on the offer and were sent to California, where they were left alone in a hotel to detox without medical supervision.

Henry Myer, who oversees Preble Street’s Street Outreach Collaborative and Elena’s Way shelter in Portland, said he has heard other providers and clients talk about how people have been approached and that “they are promised comprehensive services, then left alone in a hotel and their insurance is aggressively charged.”

“This is a predatory practice,” said Myer, who has not been in contact with the couple who went to California.

In Portland, several people who are homeless and have substance use disorder told providers they were approached by a person with a business card that read “Elevated Recovery Through Luxury Care” with a cityscape photo. The phone number on the card has an Orlando, Florida, area code.

A man who answered the number on the card said in a brief phone call with a reporter on Thursday that he was in Portland for several days in the past month to try to connect people interested in drug or alcohol treatment to the facilities he works with in California.

A first name of JP was listed on the card. The man who answered the call said his name was JP, but wouldn’t give his last name or provide the names of the facilities.

He said no one took him up on his offer to connect to a facility. If they had, he said he would not have taken any of their personal information because he is not licensed to do so. He said that, when he was in Maine, he heard of others offering to pay people to go to rehab and setting them up in motels. He said he does not pay for meals, hotel rooms or phones.

“There are probably groups out there that do that,” he said. “I can assure you that I don’t.”

Myer, from Preble Street, said clients are vulnerable to scams because they don’t have enough access to resources or safe shelter, leaving them in a position to be preyed upon. He said many people want to get help for substance use disorder but don’t see a clear pathway that includes housing and treatment that is accessible and affordable.

Myer is concerned this will make people distrust local service providers.

“Providing false information to such a vulnerable person to get them to go to the other side of the country causes huge harm to our clients,” he said.

The Statewide Homeless Council is advising community groups to encourage clients, if they are approached for out-of-state placement, to instead connect with Maine service providers. The council said in its announcement that local providers “play a critical role in helping people navigate treatment options, access recovery supports and connect with appropriate care.”

The council also said suspicious activity should be reported to local law enforcement or the Office of the Maine Attorney General.