GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – With COVID-19 vaccine distribution in full swing, scammers are finding new ways to take advantage of people who may want to get their dose as soon as possible.
If you’re getting calls or emails from people claiming to be public health officials who are trying to book you for a vaccine appointment, be very wary. Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau says you don’t have to pay to get the vaccine or jump ahead of people on a list.
“Claiming to be a public health official or trying to schedule an appointment for people to receive the vaccine, [but] they just need to provide personal information like a Medicare number or to pay for that,” Bach said. “Always protect us any kind of government issued number like your Medicare number, your social security number, your health insurance number. Make sure that you never give out that information unless you absolutely need to…It’s not possible for you to pay to receive the vaccine earlier than other people or to pay to be on a list. That is not possible. If somebody offers that to you, it’s a scam.”
It’s important to know where you are on the list as new distribution phases are announced by state health officials. If you’re not in the current categories, it’s unlikely you’d be able to jump ahead.
“Keep watching official news sources for information about the vaccine rollout,” Bach told WTAQ News. “If you receive anything that contradicts that official news source, then you know it’s a scam.”
Whether it’s a caller or a phishing email requesting for you to click on a suspicious link, Bach says to be cautious.
“Watch for any kind of link in an email or a text message that looks official, like it’s from a local health department or from the CDC,” Bach said.
Those links can often lead to malware or other viruses that could cause issues.
Another concern for the BBB comes from people who are being vaccinated, and then posting their vaccination cards on social media.
“They’re celebrating the fact that they received the vaccine, and we think that’s great. We just want to remind people that the vaccine card contains personal information that you don’t want out on social media for the world to see,” Bach said. “It has your name and your birth date, where you received the vaccine, and that’s information really that a scammer could use to commit identity theft…These vaccination cards are actually being sold on the black market. Be aware that people can take a picture of that vaccine card and then duplicate it, and that’s something that we want to avoid.”
If you want a vaccine early, reach out to your healthcare provider about your options. If you don’t have a primary care physician, check out the official website of your local health department for more information.
For more information, head to BBB.org.
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