FBI: Be wary of online COVID vaccine scams

Many schemes ask for money, personal and financial information

As millions of people eagerly await that notification saying it’s their turn to get a COVID-19 vaccination, the FBI and Virginia Department of Health are warning folks to be wary of potential scammers seeking money or personal information.

“Criminals are opportunists who will use any opportunity to make money off of people’s hardships,” said Christina Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk FBI office.

The FBI and health department have been alerted to numerous fraud schemes in which people have been asked to pay a fee to get their vaccine, get early access to one, or to get on a waiting list.

Others have been asked for irrelevant personal or financial information. There also have been reports of false advertisements on social media about how to get a vaccine.

“The biggest red flags we’ve seen is people being asked for money,” said Larry Hill, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Health.

COVID-19 vaccinations are always free and no legitimate source would ever ask for money, Hill said. Nor would they ever ask for things like a Social Security number, immigration status, banking information, or answers to security questions, such as your mother’s maiden name.

People may legitimately be asked for their date of birth, or about health insurance information, but getting a vaccine is not dependent on having insurance, Hill said.

They’re more likely to be asked about insurance when they arrive for their vaccine, he said. If you get an email about the COVID-19 vaccine, check the address it came from, Pullen said. Official emails from the Virginia Department of Health always will end in “.gov”. So will any websites to which you’re directed.

Pullen also suggested hovering your computer mouse over any links provided in emails to see where they will take you before clicking on them.

Because calls to schedule vaccine appointments could come from a variety of sources, those waiting for a vaccine are strongly encouraged to answer their phones at all times, even when they don’t recognize the number, Hill said. The call could be coming from a local health department, pharmacy, or other private provider.

Those coming from the statewide call center should show up as 877-VAX-IN-VA or 877-829-4682.

The officials also discouraged people from posting photos of their vaccine cards on social media.

Scammers will take information from them — like a name, location and date of birth — to try to steal a person’s identity or commit other types of fraud.

Those who suspect fraud should report it to the FBI at ic3.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. The Virginia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section can be reached at 1-800-552-9963.

For information regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Virginia, visit the state website at https:// www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/.