Senior Services warns of COVID-19 vaccine scams

Image
Body

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out across the county, Bosque County Senior Services Project Director Susan Baker, along with several federal agencies, warns the public about fraudulent schemes emerging related to the vaccines.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, and CMS have received complaints of scammers using interest in obtaining the new vaccine to collect personal information and money from the public.

The COVID-19 vaccine is administered at no cost and supplies are limited, yet one of the most common scams include paying a fee or deposit for early access to the vaccine.

Federal agencies also encourage the community to be wary of unsolicited emails, telephone calls, or personal contact from anyone claiming to be from a medical office, insurance company, or COVID-19 vaccine center. You should never share your personal or health information with anyone other than a known and trusted medical professional.

To keep yourself safe online, be sure to verify the spelling of web addresses, websites and emails that may be imitations of legitimate websites, and never open emails, attachments or links from unknown individuals.

Baker said Bosque County Senior Services began to deliver information to seniors who receive meals on wheels on Monday to help protect them from fraud.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of COVID-19 fraud, you should immediately report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, tips.fbi. gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, or HHS OIG at tips.hhs.gov or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

For accurate and upto-date information about COVID-19, visit coronavirus.gov.