How to Protect Yourself from COVID-19 Vaccine Scams
As COVID-19 vaccine distributions progress, agencies continue to receive complaints from the public of scammers successfully finding ways to obtain money and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). Unfortunately, many have fallen victim these fraudulent schemes. Law enforcement and private sectors continue to work diligently to identify cyber threats and fraud and encourage you to report any fraudulent activity. If you believe you have been the victim of COVID-19 fraud, immediately report it to the FBI (ic3.gov, tips.fbi.gov, or 1-800-CALL-FBI) or Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) (tips.hhs.gov or 1-800-HHS-TIPS).
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have identified several red flags that may indicate a COVID-19 vaccine scam. We encourage you to be on alert for the following red flags:
- You are asked to pay out of pocket to get the vaccine
- You are asked to pay to put your name on a vaccine waiting list or to get early access
- Advertisements for vaccines through social media platforms, email, telephone calls, online, or from unsolicited/unknown sources
- Marketers offering to sell or ship doses of the vaccine for payment
- Protect Yourself. Do not give out your personal information to unknown sources.
To download the flyer and view more detailed tips including potential indicators and cyber prevention, please read the FBI’s press release on COVID-19 Vaccine Fraud Schemes.