MADISON, Wis. — With the expansion of COVID vaccine eligibility earlier this week, millions more Wisconsinites are now able to search for appointments to get the vaccine.
But with supply still low compared to the demand, many are having trouble finding available appointments and are looking elsewhere to help. While there are many reputable pharmacies offering appointments and resources to find doses of the vaccine near you (like the CDC-promoted VaccineFinder.org), the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau says scammers are also taking the opportunity to grab valuable personal information.
The BBB recommends several ways to make sure your information (some of which is required when scheduling an appointment through legitimate sources) doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
- Always use official public health channels and approved providers to get your appointment: Even if you use different sites or social media groups to point you in the right direction, they should always direct you to official providers — like the local health department, health care provider or a pharmacy — to schedule your appointment.
- Anyone claiming to sell vaccine doses is running a scam: In the U.S., COVID vaccines are only available through official providers. Anyone on the Internet claiming to have extra doses to sell or claiming to get shipments of extra vaccine from China is a scam and you are not receiving the actual vaccine.
- Never pay to add your name to a waiting list or to get the vaccine: The BBB says it has received reports about con artists charging for fake appointment slots or to add people to supposed waiting lists. As a reminder, the U.S. government already paid for the vaccines and is providing them to the public free of charge. Vaccine providers cannot charge you for the vaccine.
- Be careful about which personal information you give out: Since the vaccine is being provided for free, you should never have to give out your bank account information, credit card information or Social Security number to schedule an appointment.
- Double check the website address you’re on: Scammers frequently buy web addresses that look official, but are actually cons. If you have doubts, do a separate Internet search or directly call the source to make sure the site is legitimate. If there is no contact information listed on the site, it may be a scam.
- Research offers carefully: As always, anything that seems too good to be true probably is too good to be true. Double check any information with official news sources.
You can find the latest vaccine news and resources on Channel3000’s Vaccine HQ page.
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