Covid-19 Vaccine Scams

With the Covid-19 vaccine increasing in availability, scams related to the vaccine are also increasing simultaneous. Scammers are using telephones, emails, postal mail, text, and social media in order to scam individuals out of their money and/or identity. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when receiving information about Covid and the vaccine. Please be aware of these and as a general practice, do not share personal information such as your bank account information, Social Security number, or date of birth to any unknown and unverified sources.

Protect Yourself

  • Be cautious of COVID-19 survey scams received via email or text messages. These surveys promise a prize for completing it, where you only have to pay shipping and handling fees. Victims provide their credit card information and are charged the shipping and handling fees, but never receive the promised prize. Do not give your personal, medical, or financial information to anyone claiming to offer money or gifts in exchange for your participation in a COVID-19 vaccine survey.
  • Government and state officials will not call you to obtain personal information in order for you to receive the vaccine.
  • You will not be asked for money or any personal information to be eligible for the vaccine.
  • Be suspicious of any unexpected calls or visitors offering COVID-19 tests, supplies, or vaccine. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately.
  • Photos of COVID-19 vaccination cards should not be shared on social media. Posting content that includes your date of birth, health care details or other personally identifiable information can be used to steal your identity.
  • Do not respond to, or click links in, text messages about COVID-19 from unknown sources.
  • Ignore offers or advertisements for COVID-19 testing or vaccinations on social media sites. If you make an appointment for a COVID-19 test or vaccination online, make sure the location is an official testing site.
  • Be aware of scammers pretending to be COVID-19 contact tracers. Legitimate contact tracers will never ask for your financial information, or attempt to set up a COVID-19 test for you and collect payment information for that test.

If you receive a text message or email claiming to be a COVID-19 vaccine survey and containing a link or other contact information, please report the communication to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.

If you believe you may have entered information into a fraudulent website, you can find resources on how to protect your information at: www.identitytheft.gov.