COVID-19 Contact Tracing Scam
COVID-19 continues to make the rounds, and contact tracers are busy working to slow the spread. Both the CDC and the WHO have recommended that states and towns implement contact tracing to break up chains of transmission. But some are taking advantage of the situation and using it to make a buck. Along with people legitimately doing their jobs to keep people safe, scammers are finding new ways to use the pandemic against unsuspecting citizens. Here’s what to watch out for.
What’s a Contact Tracer?
Contact tracers are real people who work to inform exposed individuals that someone they’ve interacted with has tested positive for COVID-19. The CDC explains that teams within communities should be working to track down those who have been within 6 feet of infected individuals and were exposed for at least 15 minutes. Tracers may call, text, e-mail, arrange a video chat or, if necessary, even visit to make sure people are informed.
But before they reach out, it’s also a contact tracer’s job to track down all of those people. They usually begin by gaining as much information from the patient as they can, but they may also search for people via social media, Google maps, online white pages and other databases. If needed, they may as for a search of records from state DMVs, health departments, correctional facilities and social services, as well—though, don't panic, this information is used to be able to contact people, so they're asking for phone numbers or the like. It should also be noted that when informing others, contact tracers are not allowed to disclose the patient’s name. So a lot is being done to protect privacy.
Why Contact Trace?
The purpose behind the contact is to get all potentially exposed people into isolation as quickly as possible, before they have a chance to infect anyone else. They are also given instructions on how to obtain testing, when that's appropriate, and how to protect others form their possible risk. People who do hear from a contact tracer should quarantine themselves for 14 days, starting immediately, and get tested for the virus.
It's not fun to be contacted but contact tracing is an important step in controlling the virus and protecting the population at large. The countries which have fared the best through this crisis are also those who have robust contact tracing programs. So we all get that it's important and valuable, but there are those who have taken advantage. Below, we talk about some things to look out for.
When to Suspect a Contact Tracing Scam
Scammers abound, and a pandemic is sure to bring a few of them out of the woodwork. They can get creative and often stoop low in their schemes, preying on people’s biggest fears. Some of these con-artists have found they can gain people’s trust by posing as contact tracers.
The FTC has posted a set of fraudster red flags everyone should be aware of:
- Scammers commonly ask for some type of payment, such as a money transfer. It’s not within a contact tracer’s job to ever ask for any kind of monetary transaction.
- Thieves may ask for a Social Security number, but a contact tracer never will.
- Only an imposter will ask for banking or credit card info.
- Anyone who asks about immigration status is not a contact tracer. This is not within their set of questions to ask.
The FTC also warns people never to click on a link included in a text or email claiming to come from a contact tracer, as it may contain malware. According to an NPR report, any email from an actual agency will be to inform you about an upcoming call, not to gain more information. Contact ftc.gov/complaint about any suspicious communications. Oficial contact tracers will have specific details of when the exposure took place, so don't be afraid to ask questions to suss out the truth. Rather than saying you may have been exposed "at church" a real tracer will know which church and on which day—so asking "at which church?" may be valuable if they can't answer (or if they claim they won't answer). Legitimate tracers will have numbers for calling them back, too, whereas scammers probably don't want you to have their number. Remember that you can look up their employer independently (use google) and then call to verify their identity, too.
There’s a good chance some of us will hear from scammers pretending to be on official COVID-19 business, but it’s important to stay open to real warning calls. Until we get this pandemic under control, we may need to get used to contact tracers reaching out but by taking a few simple steps we can verify their identity and sort the good from the bad. It’s important to learn how to tell the differences between the two now to avoid unnecessary hardship later while we work to protect our communities from COVID-19 and from those who would take advantage of hardship.
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