People warned of COVID-19 vaccine scams

Havre Daily News staff

Montana Senior Medicare Patrol is warning people to watch out for scammers taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A release from SMP says that now that the U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved COVID-19 vaccines, “fraudsters have already started thinking of ways to scam unsuspecting people out of their money.”

The release says some things people should watch out for include:

People cannot pay to get early access to the vaccine.

People will not need to pay anything out-of-pocket to get the vaccine during the public health emergency.

No one from vaccine distribution sites or heath care payers, like private insurance companies, will call someone to get their Social Security number or bank account information to sign them up to get vaccine.

No one from Medicare will contact you about the vaccine.

People will not call to put someone’s name on a list to get the vaccine, the release said.

And anyone who receives a call, text or even someone knocking on the door claiming they can get early access to a vaccine should stop, the release said. That’s a scam.

People should beware of providers offering other products, treatments or medicines to prevent the virus, the release says.

And, it says, people should check with their provider before paying for or receiving any COVID-19-related care.