A new year and a COVID-19 vaccine are making people feel very optimistic about 2021, the scammers are trying to rip you off of your hard earned money with a vaccine scam! The feds are warning the public about the rise of vaccine scams.
Federal agencies including the FBI are warning us about several emerging fraud schemes related to COVID-19 vaccines.
The feds said they have received several complaints of scammers using the public’s interest in COVID-19 vaccines to obtain people’s personal information and money.
Here are the red flags of a potential scam:
- People are asked to pay out of pocket to get the coronavirus vaccine; and people are asked to pay money to put their name on a vaccine waiting list, or to get early access.
- A potential indicator of fraudulent activity is an ad for vaccines through social media, email, telephone calls, online or from unsolicited sources. Marketers offering to sell or ship doses of a vaccine in exchange for payment is another key sign.
Officials are encouraging consumers to be on the lookout for vaccine scams. “Any telephone or email representation that a COVID-19 vaccination can be provided quickly in exchange for money or personal identifiable information is a scam. If you receive a call like this, you should hang up immediately,”
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine not available to general public yet, despite circulating signup page
Be safe and be on the look out for any potential scams!
