New York based Pfizer Inc. is warning consumers about scammers offering early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Security professionals have warned that this type of
scam is inevitable with the release of a vaccine. Scammers have offered
supposed vaccines as early as spring of 2020 well before a vaccine was ready
for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Pfizer says that it has been actively monitoring scams
during the pandemic. It has seen fraudsters on WhatsApp promoting “vaccine
tourism” packages with airfare, hotel rooms, meals, and a coronavirus vaccine.
Others are publishing online ads and robocalls encouraging people to avoid long
lines and purchase a Pfizer vaccine for $79.99. Pfizer knows of at least one
care facility that has been approached by scammers trying to sell a vaccine.
The scammers are not only trying to make a quick buck
but also collect your Social Security Number and bank account or credit card
numbers.
Lev Kubiak, vice president and chief security officer
for Pfizer, says “The No. 1 thing that is most troubling to me is that any
illegal activity raises doubt in the minds of a population that is already
somewhat worried about taking a vaccine. And so, any type of scam, any type of
fraudulent offer, further complicates that vaccine confidence."
If you receive a phone call or see an email or text
message offering a COVID-19 vaccine, ask who is sending the message and why are
they making a vaccine available to you? Mr. Kubiak says that the only way to
access Pfizer’s vaccine is through a government-authorized vaccination center in
your state. Be sure to monitor local public health departments such as the
Washington State Department of Health, https://www.doh.wa.gov/,
the Snohomish Health District, http://www.snohd.org/, or Public Health-
Seattle & King County, https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health.aspx,
for information on COVID-19 and local vaccine developments.
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