OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County is warning of a potential scam related to COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
According to reports, the caller is asking questions in order to schedule a vaccine appointment, and then asks for personal and financial information.
“Oakland County will never ask for any financial information including credit card or social security numbers,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer for Oakland County, in a press release. “If you are unsure if it is a scam, avoid sharing any personal information over the phone, and report it to the authorities.”
Concerned residents can report scam calls by calling the non-emergency phone number at the local police or Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Avoid becoming a victim of phone scams or identify theft by:
- Making a list of contact information for family members, close friends, health providers or anyone who might call regularly. This will help you know if the call is legitimate.
- Letting a call go to voicemail if you don't recognize a phone number. Scammers rarely leave messages.
- Hanging up if a stranger asks for personal or financial information. If you do answer the phone, it's OK to hang up.
- Remembering that government agencies will always identify themselves.
- Not sharing any personal information such as your social security number to anyone over the telephone.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.