As if it weren’t already hard enough to score a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, criminals have begun to capitalize on consumers’ confusion with a troubling new deluge of scams.
Scams include phony websites designed to look like those of vaccine makers like Moderna (MRNA) and Pfizer (PFE) that steal your personal information. Others offer false promises of early access to vaccines, sometimes in the form of home deliveries.
This week, President Joe Biden said that the U.S. will have enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May — but in the meantime, scammers will jump at the chance to exploit the rollout as people try to get inoculated as soon as possible. So what’s the best way to avoid becoming a victim? The main thing to remember if that you’ll never have to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Scams that try to get you to pay for you vaccine
While scammers are trying to trick people into paying for the vaccine, the reality is the federal government is already paying for vaccines for everyone living in the United States. The only kind of payment involving the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the administration fee your vaccine administrator might charge your insurance provider. You, however, don’t have to pay anyone.
If you did purchase a vaccine online and received something in the mail, do not use it. There’s no telling what the substance could actually be.
Schemes asking you to pay to get on a vaccine waiting list
Getting a…
