Beware text message scams from fake COVID-19 contact tracers - DO NOT CLICK ON LINK - IMMEDIATELY DELETE TEXT MESSAGE WITH LINKS
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, one of the most important tools health department officials have to fight the spread of the virus is contact tracing, which is the process through which officials identify everyone who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and reaches out to them to have them quarantine and monitor their symptoms, hopefully cutting off any potential community spread.
NBC:
Scammers are taking advantage of the vital contact tracing work going on to try and steal people's personal information, social security number, bank info, credit card info, and money.
A legitimate text from a contact tracer will let you know the health department they're representing and tell you to expect a call from a phone number. Then, the phone caller will NOT ask you for any personal information, but will tell you about the situation, your potential exposure, and give you instructions. At the end of the call, they may ask if you'd like to enroll in a text message program that will send out daily health and safety reminders throughout your 14-day quarantine. But they WILL NOT ask you for money or for information like your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number. There’s no reason they would need any of that information to let you know you may have contracted COVID-19.
Below is how the SCAM text message with LINK could look:
Beware text message scams from fake contact tracers
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