Unfortunately, scammers are hard at work attempting to scam you during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are using all forms of contact - telephone, postal mail, email, text messaging and in person - to take advantage of the unsuspecting for financial gain and access to personal or insurance information.

Beware and protect yourself from these COVID-19 fraud schemes and scams:

Review the Federal Trade Commission COVID-19 Fraud Data below.

FTC Fraud Data is updated daily and viewable by location, type of fraud, contact method, payment method and age of victims. 

COVID-19 Vaccine

An individual claiming to be a medical professional offers to schedule you to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for a fee. The offer may happen via a phone call, social media or in person at a pop-up vaccination location. The person will require your Medicare, Social Security Number or health insurance information, in addition to a form of payment to provide you with instructions on where to go to receive the vaccine. The vaccination they are offering may not be approved by the FDA to prevent COVID-19 or they may be scheduling you for an appointment at a vaccination location that does not exist. 

Consumer Tips:

• Only accept vaccinations from verified licensed medical professionals such as your doctor, pharmacy or the Florida Department of Health. If you have any questions regarding COVID-19 vaccinations or medications being offered, please contact:
  
  

  Florida Department of Health 24/7 COVID-19 Call Center: 1-866-779-6121

• No matter what anyone tells you, you cannot buy COVID-19 vaccines and there’s no out-of-pocket cost to schedule or receive the vaccine. If someone is demanding payment, they are not a part of the Florida Department of Health or any other official organization. The vaccine is only available at federal- and state-approved locations.


• Ignore online ads, social media posts, or phone calls from people offering to sell you the COVID-19 vaccine.


• Do not give out your personal information or verify details of your insurance coverage to any unsolicited callers or anyone that approaches you in person.

COVID-19 Testing Kits

You receive an offer to purchase COVID-19 at-home testing kits through an email, on a website or even on social media. Fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits are appearing online as opportunistic scammers take advantage of the spike in demand. You cannot trust the results from COVID-19 testing kits that have not been approved by the FDA. You may risk unknowingly spreading COVID-19 or not getting treated appropriately if you use an unauthorized test.

Consumer Tips:

When shopping for COVID-19 testing kits online, the Federal Trade Commission recommends:

• Make sure the test you’re buying is authorized by the FDA. Check the FDA’s lists of antigen diagnostic tests and molecular diagnostic tests before you buy to find the tests authorized for home use.


• Research the seller before making any purchases, especially if you’re buying from a site you are not familiar with. Search online for the website, company, or seller’s name plus words like "scam," "complaint," or "review".


• Compare online reviews from a wide variety of websites. You can get a good idea about a company, product, or service from reading user reviews on various retail or shopping comparison sites. Think about the source of the review. Ask yourself: Where is this review coming from? Is it from an expert organization or individual customers?


• Make the purchase using a credit card. If you're charged for an order you never receive, or for a product that's not as advertised, contact your credit card company and dispute the charge.

Report any fraudulent listings to the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

You receive a phone call or see an ad online offering vaccination cards and negative COVID-19 test results for sale. The individual selling the fake vaccination card and test results will ask for your personal information and payment information in order to complete the transaction. This information may include any of the following: your full name, Social Security Number, health insurance information, credit card information and bank account information.

Scammers are using the pandemic as an opportunity to profit and to gain access to your personal information for identity theft purposes. 

Consumer Tips:

• Be aware that purchasing fake vaccination cards, making your own or filling in the blanks of any vaccination information with false information is illegal and you could be fined or face other legal action. The only legitimate way to show proof of your vaccination status is to get vaccinated and maintain the vaccination card issued to you by the state-approved vaccine facility.


• Do not share or confirm your personal, insurance or financial information, including bank account and credit card numbers, with anyone who contacts you. 


• To report fake vaccination cards contact:

Example of Fraudulent Text Message

You receive a text message requesting you to verify your driver license details in order for your vaccination status to be added to your license. The text message provides a link that sends targets to a spoofed Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) website with input boxes requesting Social Security and driver license information—including a place to upload a photocopy of a driver license. The spoofed webpage is not an official state agency site even though the scammers added the FLHSMV logo and the Florida Department of Health logo at the top to trick consumers into sharing their personal information. 

If you click on the link in the fraudulent text message and enter your personal information, scammers can then use your identity to open financial accounts without your knowledge. 

Consumer Tips:

• The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles does not interact with consumers through text messages and will never send a text message regarding the status of a driver license, personal details or medical information, including COVID-19 vaccination status.


• Do not share or confirm your personal, insurance or financial information, including bank account and credit card numbers, with anyone who contacts you through text messaging.


• Do not click on links in a text message or email you receive from an unknown sender. Clicking on these links may bring you to a fraudulent website trying to obtain your personal, financial or insurance information. Clicking on unknown links can also download malware onto your device.


• Do not trust the caller ID. While the name and number may appear to be that of a legitimate state agency or organization, it may be a scam artist attempting to obtain your personal information.


• Report suspicious solicitations or COVID-19 vaccine-related advertisements:

Legitimate contact tracers will not ask you for money.

Contact tracing does not require any form of payment. If someone is demanding payment through a money transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency, they are not a part of the Florida Department of Health or any other official organization.

Contact tracing does not require your bank account or credit card information. 

Do not share or confirm your personal or financial information, including bank account and credit card numbers, with anyone who contacts you. Contact tracing is a core public health function available at no charge.

Legitimate contact tracers will never ask for your Social Security number. 

You will not need to share your Social Security number in the contact tracing process. Immediately cease any communication with anyone claiming to be a contact tracer that is demanding your Social Security number. 

Immigration status is not a part of contact tracing. 

Legitimate contact tracers will not inquire about your immigration status or request any documentation associated with it. 

Do not click on a link in a text message or email. 

Scammers are including links in fraudulent text messages and emails. Clicking on these links may download malware onto your device or put you at risk for a scammer to gain your personal, financial or insurance information.