LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The COVID-19 pandemic has birthed a new type of scam involving one of the most important aspects of stopping the virus: contact tracing.
The Nevada Health Response Center is warning the public to beware and offered five tips to help you recognize a potential fraud.
Health Department contact tracers will contact individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus. The following is what you should keep in mind when determining the tracer’s legitimacy:
- Real contact tracers won’t ask for money
- Contact tracing doesn’t require your bank account or credit card number
- Legitimate tracers won’t ask for your Social Security number
- Tracers won’t ask your immigration status, as it doesn’t matter for contact tracing
- Do not click on a link in a text or email
To report a scammer, click here for the Nevada Attorney General or here for the Federal Trade Commission.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contact tracers locate and speak with COVID-19 patients, assist with arranging patient isolation and work with patients to identify others who they have been in contact with.
