Need a COVID vaccine? Watch out for appointment scams, Florida attorney general warns

Did the caller offering to set up your COVID-19 vaccine appointment ask for money or Medicare information? Was the call unexpected because you didn’t think you were eligible for a shot?

Then put on your Florida Fraud detector glasses — it might very well be a scam, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned in a consumer alert on Monday.

“Florida is turning the corner with vaccinations outpacing infections,” Moody says in the alert. “This is great news, but it would be a mistake to let your guard down now — we need to remain vigilant, not only in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but also in protecting against scams that exploit the pandemic in an effort to steal your money or identity.”

Here are the styles of COVID appointment scams in her alert, as gathered from consumers and media:

Paying for appointments

The vaccine is free. So is the appointment. But scammers know how exasperating it can be to get a vaccine appointment and know that when people get desperate, they’ll pay for services they should be getting for free.

Whether it’s a website or a phone call, “know that any offer requiring payment in order to place the consumer on a wait list, secure an appointment or expedite access to the vaccine is a scam,” Moody warns.

Medicare at-home vaccinations

This one starts with a phone call offering a senior citizen vaccination shots through Medicare via house call. Again, this one plays on the appointment-making frustration combined with the lure of not having to be around a lot of people and/or stand in a long line while waiting for your vaccination shots.

But that’s a fraudulent soup and salad trying to turn a senior into a sucker. The caller wants Medicare information for that Florida favorite, Medicare fraud.

“Additionally, know that Medicare representatives will never visit seniors at home nor call to sell something,” Moody said.

A Miami area podiatrist helped in a $3.4 million fraud. COVID has kept him out of prison

Appointment calling!

Callers say they’re from the county, state or somewhere that’s giving vaccinations to set up vaccination appointments. They’re not asking for money. They just want your Medicare card number, your Social Security number, a credit card, debit card, bank account information to lock down the appointment.

Give no information. Ask exactly where the caller is from, look up that agency’s contact information and reach out to that entity yourself.

“These scam artists may even tell victims to arrive at a known local vaccination site at a specific date and time to bolster the ruse,” Moody said.

Posting a photo online

Between the social isolation of the pandemic and ever increasing numbers of senior citizens becoming agile with social media, it also means more can be infected by the philosophy of “photos or it didn’t happen.”

But, as we warned previously, after getting your first vaccination shot, don’t show the cards online. They have too much information.

“Additionally, these cards may be used to create convincing-looking fake vaccine documentation,” Moody said.

Never mind: Hundreds offered vaccine slots in Miami-Dade, then told it was a mistake