Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan warned residents over scam calls related to the COVID-19 vaccine through an online town hall.
“Be on the alert as the vaccine rolls out. We’re already seeing scammers working overtime, taking advantage of consumers to force you to pay for the vaccine, which is being offered at no cost,”Shapiro said according to a KYW Newsradio report.
No one should pay for a COVID-19 vaccine. Shapiro advised to never give your personal information to anyone you don’t know. And if you’re asked to pay for a vaccination over the phone or by email, it’s a rip-off.
“If they’re reaching out to you in an unsolicited way, 99.9% of the time it’s going to be a scam,” Shapiro added.
“Most of that increase is directly due to the COVID crisis and scammers who seek to prey on people’s vulnerabilities and fear about the COVID crisis,” said Houlahan.
Nenette Day, assistant special agent in charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, told NBC News that only creditable medical providers can deal with vaccine offers. “If you’re receiving unsolicited offers for a vaccine, not one, not two, but about 10 red flags should go up. There is no way that you under any circumstance should deal with anybody except a known and reputable medical provider or pharmacy.”
You can read: Thomas Farley: COVID-19 vaccine availability for everyone in the summer
The warning notes that in addition to requesting money under false pretenses, the scam calls may be a means of obtaining personal information from the victims.
Today we’re kicking off National Consumer Protection Week with this fun fact:
Since I took office on January 17th, 2017, and made protecting consumers a top priority, my office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has received 102,926 complaints. #NCPW2021
— Michelle Henry (@PAAttorneyGen) March 1, 2021
“You will not be asked for money to enhance your ranking for vaccine eligibility. Government and State officials will not call you to obtain personal information in order to receive the vaccine, and you will not be solicited door to door to receive the vaccine,” advice from the Health and Human Services website stated.
Gift cards
Another scam described by Shapiro is when somebody will ask over the phone for the victim of the scam to pay for a vaccination with gift cards. Scammers will often ask for payment through gift cards since they are hard for authorities to trace.
“Now is not the time to stop protecting yourself and those around you. Not just your physical health, but from scams,” he said.
The warning comes as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that scam calls increased by 1.5 million during 2020.
Noticias Newswire
