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.
FTC Fraud Data is updated daily and viewable by location, type of fraud, contact method, payment method and age of victims.
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.
Florida Department of Health 24/7 COVID-19 Call Center: 1-866-779-6121
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.
When shopping for COVID-19 testing kits online, the Federal Trade Commission recommends:
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.
1-800-HHS-TIPS
www.OIG.HHS.gov
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.
County Health Departments - Location Finder Resource
Florida Department of Health 24/7 COVID-19 Call Center: 1-866-779-6121
Note: This form is for use only by individuals aged 18 years and over to request their own COVID-19 vaccination record. DO NOT use this form to request records for another individual. Each individual is responsible for their own request. Currently, records of minors (aged 17 years and below) are not available through this request portal. Please contact your healthcare provider or local county health department to request records for a minor.
Contact tracing is a vital tool used in slowing the spread of COVID-19 to protect you, your family and your community. When an individual tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracing is the process of identifying everyone the individual has come in contact with to advise those individuals of their possible exposure.
For more information on contact tracing, including a list of official phone numbers used for contact tracing in Florida, please visit the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Response site or refer to their COVID-19 Contact Tracing Fact Sheet.
Review the consumer tips below to ensure you will be able to spot a contact tracing scam.
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.
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.
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.
Legitimate contact tracers will not inquire about your immigration status or request any documentation associated with it.
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.
To learn more about recognizing and reporting spam text messages, refer to the FTC's guidance here:
How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages
Check-A-Charity Resource
www.FDACS.gov/ConsumerServices
1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352)
GoFundMe: How to Determine if a Fundraiser is Legitimate
To Verify an Insurance Company License:
Office of Insurance Regulation
Active Company Search
www.FLOIR.com/CompanySearch
To Verify an Insurance Agent License:
Florida Department of Financial Services
Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services
www.MyFloridaCFO.com/Division/Agents
850.413.3137
Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate
200 East Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 413-5923
Email: YourFLVoice@MyFloridaCFO.com