The FBI, the Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Attorney General (HHS-OIG), and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) have issued a joint warning about COVID-19 vaccine scams.
What should you look out for?
- Ads promising early access to the vaccine upon payment of a fee or deposit.
- Out-of-pocket payment requests for the vaccine or offers to put you on a vaccine waiting list.
- Offers for additional testing when the vaccine is being administered.
- Offers to sell or ship the vaccine domestically or internationally.
- Phishing messages seeking your personal information in connection with vaccine trials or obtaining the vaccine.
- Claims of FDA approval for an offered vaccine that cannot be verified.
- Vaccine ads from unknown/untrusted sources.
- Phone calls alerting you that the government or specific government officials require your vaccination.
Steps you can take:
- For up-to-date information about vaccine distribution and distribution channels, check your state’s health department website.
- For emergency use authorizations, check the FDA’s website.
- Consult your primary care physician about any vaccination.
- Only share your medical information with trusted medical professionals.
- Review your medical bills and insurance EOB’s for unexpected claims.
- Follow CDC (Center for Disease Control) and medical guidance from trusted professionals.
Please be reminded to be on the lookout for unexpected or unusual emails, texts, updates, phone calls or web pop-ups, and remember that clicking a malicious link or attachment may have serious consequences for your device(s) and data as you may trigger the installation of malware.
COVID-19 related fraud can be reported to the FBI at ic3.gov or tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.