Looking to get COVID-19 vaccine? Beware of appointment scams, Florida’s attorney general warns
Did the caller offering to set up your COVID-19 vaccine appointment ask for money or Medicare information? Was the call unexpected because you didn’t think you were eligible for a shot?
Then put on your Florida Fraud detector glasses — it might very well be a scam, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned in a consumer alert on Monday.
“Florida is turning the corner with vaccinations outpacing infections,” Moody says in the alert. “This is great news, but it would be a mistake to let your guard down now — we need to remain vigilant, not only in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but also in protecting against scams that exploit the pandemic in an effort to steal your money or identity.”
Here are the styles of COVID appointment scams in her alert, as gathered from consumers and media:
PAYING FOR APPOINTMENTS
The vaccine is free. So is the appointment. But scammers know how exasperating it can be to get a vaccine appointment and know that when people get desperate, they’ll pay for services they should be getting for free.
Whether it’s a website or a phone call, “know that any offer requiring payment in order to place the consumer on a wait list, secure an appointment or expedite access to the vaccine is a scam,” Moody warns.
MEDICARE AT-HOME VACCINATIONS
This one starts with a phone call offering a senior citizen vaccination shots through Medicare via house call. Again, this one plays on the appointmentmaking frustration combined with the lure of not having to be around a lot of people and/or stand in a long line while waiting for your vaccination shots.
But that’s a fraudulent soup and salad trying to turn a senior into a sucker. The caller wants Medicare information for that Florida favorite, Medicare fraud.
“Additionally, know that Medicare representatives will never visit seniors at home nor call to sell something,” Moody said.
APPOINTMENT CALLING!
Callers say they’re from the county, state or somewhere that’s giving vaccinations to set up vaccination appointments. They’re
not asking for money. They just want your Medicare card number, your Social Security number, a credit card, debit card, bank account information to lock down the appointment.
Give no information. Ask exactly where the caller is from, look up that agency’s contact information and reach out to that entity yourself.
“These scam artists may even tell victims to arrive at a known local vaccination site at a specific date and time to bolster the ruse,” Moody said.
POSTING A PHOTO ONLINE
Between the social isolation of the pandemic and ever increasing numbers of senior citizens becoming agile with social media, it also means more can be infected by the philosophy of “photos or it didn’t happen.”
But, as we warned previously, after getting your first vaccination shot, don’t show the cards online. They have too much information.
“Additionally, these cards may be used to create convincing-looking fake vaccine documentation,” Moody said.
After months of speculation, West Miami’s U.S. senator won’t need to worry about a Republican primary from a future Indian Creek resident.
Sen. Marco Rubio’s office said Thursday that Ivanka Trump — the daughter of former President Donald Trump and a former White House adviser — has no plans to run against Rubio in the 2022 election.
“Marco spoke with Ivanka a few weeks ago, and she offered her support,” said Rubio spokesperson Nick Iacovella. A source close to Ivanka Trump confirmed that a meeting recently took place between the two.
Ivanka Trump’s decision not to run against one of her father’s former presidential rivals was first reported by The New York Times.
In a statement, Ivanka
Trump said Rubio “is a tremendous advocate for working families” and “a good personal friend.”
“I have seen Marco’s commitment to fighting for American families through our work together to double the child tax credit, get millions more Americans access to paid family leave and creating the paycheck protection program to support small business during the pandemic,” Ivanka Trump said.
While speculation increased that Ivanka Trump would run against Rubio after she announced the purchase of a $30 million, 1.8-acre lot in Indian Creek in December, she never took serious steps to mount a campaign and Rubio vocally defended her father during his second impeachment trial. Ivanka Trump and her family are renting in Surfside until their home is built.
At a rally ahead of the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections in January, Donald Trump downplayed the prospect of his daughter running for office.
“She doesn’t really like the concept of running for office,” Trump said. “She says, ‘What do I need it for, dad?’ ”
In a statement on Thursday, Rubio said he is “incredibly grateful to Ivanka for her friendship and support.”
The 2022 U.S. Senate election in Florida is expected to be competitive, though Rubio hasn’t yet drawn a serious Democratic challenger. He will begin the race as the favorite considering Trump’s strong 2020 performance and Rubio’s eight-percentage-point margin of victory in his 2016 U.S. Senate reelection bid.
Rubio faced criticism from some Donald Trump supporters and protests outside his house ahead of the deadly U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6. But he argued that convicting Trump, who is now a private citizen, for inciting an insurrection while in office sets a “dangerous constitutional precedent.”
“I voted to acquit former President Trump because I
will not allow my anger over the criminal attack of January 6th nor the political intimidation from the left to lead me into supporting a dangerous constitutional precedent,” Rubio said in a statement shortly after voting to acquit Trump on Saturday.
Rubio and Ivanka Trump frequently worked with each other during her father’s time in office, most notably on increasing child tax credits for parents.
In 2017, he said their
working relationship began during the 2016 primary debates, where Rubio insinuated that Donald Trump wasn’t well-endowed and Trump repeatedly used the phrase “Little Marco” to mock the Florida senator.
Rubio said an important bond was formed between the Rubio and Trump families during those debates. Ivanka Trump frequently sat near the Rubio family while Rubio pitched an increase in the child tax
credit during the debates, and she was impressed with his message.
“If you watched the debates you think the only thing that happened is the two hours on stage but ... the Trump family and ours always sat in the same place,” Rubio said. “And so over time we just kind of developed a rapport with them.”