The US Department of Justice issued a warning about false post-vaccine surveys.
If you receive a text message or email about a COVID-19 vaccine survey that promises a prize or cash upon completion, please do not click the link. The messages often state that you only need to pay for shipping and handling to receive the award mentioned above.
Scammers even test different prizes and subject lines to see which ones get the most clicks, says Jake Milstein, director of marketing for CI Security.
“In your quest to get a free iPad, you may be inadvertently giving a criminal access to your bank account,” added Milstein.
If someone is a victim by clicking on the link and entering their credit card information, they have just exposed their personal information and increased the likelihood of identity theft. And they will not receive the “prize.”
“In reality, the surveys are used to steal money from consumers and illegally capture consumers’ personal information,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
The 53-year-old governor received the vaccine at a Los Angeles clinic.
“Unless it comes from a known and verified source, consumers should never click on links in text messages or emails that claim to be a vaccine survey.”
To protect your money and personal information, here is what you can do: If you receive one of these unsolicited text messages or emails, carefully examine the message and do not click the link. Generally, companies will not contact customers to ask for a username or password.
When in doubt, contact the company that allegedly sent the message, but do not use the contact information provided in the unsolicited message.
You can report these types of phishing messages to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling 866-720-5721 or using the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.
If you think you may have entered your personal information on a fraudulent website, you can find resources on how to protect your information here.