The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Health and
Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are warning the public about
several emerging fraud schemes related to COVID-19 vaccines.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and CMS have received complaints of scammers using the
public’s interest in COVID-19 vaccines to obtain personally
identifiable information (PII) and money through various schemes. We
continue to work diligently with law enforcement partners
and the private sector to identify cyber threats and fraud in all
forms.
The public should be aware of the following potential indicators of fraudulent activity:
- Advertisements or offers for early access to a vaccine upon payment of a deposit or fee
- Requests asking you to pay out of pocket to obtain the vaccine or to put your name on a COVID-19 vaccine waiting list
- Offers to undergo additional medical testing or procedures when obtaining a vaccine
- Marketers
offering to sell and/or ship doses of a vaccine, domestically or
internationally, in exchange for payment of a deposit or fee
- Unsolicited
emails, telephone calls, or personal contact from someone claiming to
be from a medical office, insurance company, or COVID-19 vaccine center
requesting personal and/or medical information to determine recipients’
eligibility to participate in clinical vaccine trials or obtain the
vaccine
- Claims of FDA approval for a vaccine that cannot be verified
- Advertisements for vaccines through social media platforms, email, telephone calls, online, or from unsolicited/unknown sources
- Individuals
contacting you in person, by phone, or by email to tell you the
government or government officials require you to receive a COVID-19
vaccine
Tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud:
- Consult your state’s health department
website for up-to-date information about authorized vaccine
distribution channels and only obtaining a vaccine through such
channels.
- Check the FDA’s website (fda.gov) for current information about vaccine emergency use authorizations.
- Consult your primary care physician before undergoing any vaccination.
- Don’t share your personal or health information with anyone other than known and trusted medical professionals.
- Check
your medical bills and insurance explanation of benefits (EOBs) for any
suspicious claims and promptly reporting any errors to your health
insurance provider.
- Follow
guidance and recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and other trusted medical professionals.
General online/cyber fraud prevention techniques:
- Verify the spelling of web addresses,
websites, and email addresses that look trustworthy but may be
imitations of legitimate websites.
- Ensure operating systems and applications are updated to the most current versions.
- Update anti-malware and anti-virus software and conduct regular network scans.
- Do not enable macros on documents downloaded from an email unless necessary and after ensuring the file is not malicious.
- Do not communicate with or open emails, attachments, or links from unknown individuals.
- Never
provide personal information of any sort via email; be aware that many
emails requesting your personal information may appear to be legitimate.
- Use strong two-factor authentication if possible, using biometrics, hardware tokens, or authentication apps.
- Disable or remove unneeded software applications.
If you believe you have been the victim of a COVID-19 fraud, immediately report it to the FBI (ic3.gov, tips.fbi.gov,
or 1-800-CALL-FBI) or HHS OIG (tips.hhs.gov or
1-800-HHS-TIPS).
* A link to this news release, originally issued by the FBI National Press Office on December 21, can be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/federal-agencies-warn-of-emerging-fraud-schemes-related-to-covid-19-vaccines
