Avoiding COVID Scams

By Sue Quimby

The fears and uncertainties of the pandemic of 2020 have brought with them a whole new arena for scammers. As is often the case, scammers prey upon the most vulnerable: the elderly, or those with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, who are also the most vulnerable to the infection. Some of the most common scams are related to contact tracing – the process used to try to determine the source of infections and outbreaks – and warn people who may have been exposed to the virus. Some scams offer fake cures or try to sell COVID tests for a fee. Helping clients understand how to identify contact tracing and other COVID 19-related scams, and how to avoid them, is another value -added service of the professional insurance agent.

A common scam is a text or call to the target – the person being scammed – warning of a local outbreak and saying that the recipient should get tested, or perhaps offering a vaccine. The scammer then offers to connect the target to a “health adviser”. Other scams prey on financial fears brought on by the lockdown. Scammers offer fake work from home opportunities, or try to sell health insurance or financial assistance, such as bogus loans or debt consolidation, to the target. Others purport to have information about government stimulus checks. In all cases, the goal is to obtain personal and financial information that the scammer can use for personal gain. The federal government offers a variety of resources for consumers who want to learn how to recognize and respond to possible scams. (www.fcc.gov/covid-scams)

Contact tracing is an essential tool in the war to control the spread of any disease. Each positive case who quarantines may prevent an exponential spread of the disease. A recent study showed that the “secondary infection rate” in households – the percent of people who catch COVID-19 from someone they live with – is 53%. This is much higher than previously believed. (www.livescience.com). Just because someone does not feel sick does not mean they are not contagious, as approximately 20% of those infected remain asymptomatic.

When a legitimate contact tracer calls, they should introduce themselves and advise what health department they are working for. If someone is contacted by a tracer and there is ever a question, the subject can ask the tracer what health department they are calling from, and if the number is called back, will they reach the health department? Another option is to ask for the name of the tracer’s supervisor and a phone number they can call to confirm. Legitimate tracers are asking for health information, not money or personal financial information (www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice).

There are different procedures for contacts (people who have been exposed to positive cases) and cases (people who have tested positive). Wen calling a contact, the tracer informs them that they were exposed to someone who tested positive, and the contact needs to quarantine for the next 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. The tracer will most likely ask the contact for their address, or at the very least the town the contact lives in. Has the contact been experiencing any symptoms and if so have they been tested? The tracer may ask if the contact is aware they were exposed. Tracers do not tell people to get tested, do not send out testing kits and definitely do not ask for payment info. Finally, there are no penalties for noncompliance. The contact is not required to answer the questions nor to get tested.

Legitimate contact tracers will not tell anyone who they were exposed to because that is a privacy (HIPAA) violation. The tracers can usually tell a person where they were exposed, such as at work or the grocery store, but that is not always possible due to privacy concerns. In cases of family or friends, the contact often knows who they may have been exposed to.

For an actual case – one where the subject has tested positive – the tracers know the date of birth and address, and will ask the subject for confirmation so there isn’t any sharing of private medical information with someone who it isn’t meant for. Once again, legitimate tracers never ask for any type of payment. The goal is to warn people who may have been infected and stop further spread. Some counties offer quarantine support services, such as grocery and medication delivery or housing for those who cannot isolate where they are.

The coronavirus pandemic has opened new avenues for those unscrupulous individuals who look to gain from the misfortune and fears of others. Helping clients recognize and avoid the negative impact of such scams is another sign of the true insurance professional.