The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) has recently issued a warning about scammers sending text
messages posing as local or state public health officials conducting contact
tracing.
Local or state public
health investigators conduct contact tracing by calling people who have been contacted
by someone who has come down with certain diseases such as COVID-19. The
contact tracing comes after the investigators have interviewed the patient with
COVID-19 to find out where they have been and who they have been in contact
with. The goal of the investigation and the contact tracing is to stop the
spread of the disease.
During the contact
tracing call, the public health staffer notifies individuals of the possible
exposure. They also provide guidance on how long to quarantine, symptoms to
watch for, and what to do if they fall ill. Public health workers are required
by law not to reveal the identity of the person with COVID-19 and to protect
the personal health information of the people that they call.
While conducting investigations,
staffers will ask for date of birth, address, gender at birth, race, and ethnicity.
They may also ask for information about where you work, your duties at work, travel
history, and information about your illness. Interviewers will not ask for Personally
Identifiable Information (PII) such as your Social Security number, financial information,
or immigration status.
Initial contacts are
almost always conducted with a phone call. Investigators may follow up with text
messages or phone calls to ensure home isolation is going well, answer
questions, or help with referrals.
The FTC says it has received
complaints of scammers sending text messages, pretending to be public health
investigators, with links to click on. You should be suspicious of any unexpected
text message claiming to be from a public health district. And be suspicious of
clicking on any links from unexpected text messages.
Snohomish Health District:
The Seattle Times:
Federal Trade Commission:
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