SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

January 4, 2021

CORONAVIRUS VACCINE SCAMS 

Courtesy AARP

Be skeptical of vaccine offers

With the coronavirus vaccine comes a crime wave, a top security official for Pfizer warns.

The only way to access Pfizer’s vaccine is through a government-authorized vaccination center in your state says Lev J. Kubiak, vice president and chief security officer for New York City-based Pfizer.

Unscrupulous criminals are calling and texting consumers to steal their money by falsely promising they can have an early vaccine.

Some crooks on the WhatsApp platform have promoted “vaccine tourism” packages for travel to the U.S., touting airfare, hotel rooms and meals along with a coronavirus vaccine, Kubiak says. Crooks are telling people they could avoid long lines and get a Pfizer vaccine for $79.99.

Caution

If “someone is offering you a place in line, or access to a limited quantity that you couldn’t otherwise get, the first question really should be, ‘Who is this person and why are they are they making this available to me?’” Kubiak tells AARP.

It’s not just a quick buck the crooks are chasing. Dangling the prospect of an early vaccine, some try to wheedle Social Security numbers and bank account or credit card numbers out of consumers.

Care facility targeted

Criminals are targeting not only individuals but also health care facilities. A phony “pharmaceutical representative” offered to sell vaccine to a residential care facility to inoculate its patients and staff. Fortunately, a staff supervisor rejected the offer.

A vaccine scam can be reported to the US Federal Commission: www.ftc.gov/complaint.

ATTRIBUTION: AARP