Illustration for the article titled Photo: Tero Vesalainen (Shutterstock)

As vaccine supply struggles to meet demand, grassroots social media groups known as “vaccine hunters” have sprung up across the country to help people find and book appointments. As helpful as these groups are, they have also become the new favorite target for scammers. This is how you can protect yourself.

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How vaccine hunter cheating works

Since many states have failed to provide centralized information on exactly where to get a vaccine booking, Vaccine hunter groups have closed the gap. These groups informally share information about where you might be able to make an appointment, be it on county health care websites, pharmacy websites, on-call informal pharmacy lists, or individual hospital waiting lists. In a spirit of goodwill, people in these groups often help strangers (usually elderly) book vaccination appointments on their behalf.

Unfortunately, this is where fraudsters come in. Scammers posing as Good Samaritans will ask for your personal information and try to sell bogus vaccine dates or vaccines. The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning warns people about the scam and offers the following tips to avoid disadvantages when looking for a vaccine appointment:

  • Always go through official public health channels and approved providers for a vaccine appointment. In the US, COVID-19 vaccines are only available through official suppliers, e.g. B. through your local health department or pharmacy. The exact providers vary by region, but you can use to find the list for your region VaccineFinder.org. Aggregation pages should always refer you to the official providers in order to arrange your appointment.
  • Anyone who claims to be selling vaccine doses is a scam. Be wary of anyone claiming to have doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. This Digital Citizens Alliance report Found Facebook pages promoting China-made vaccines. While the sites did not actively promote sales of the drug, the scammers offered to sell the fake vaccine after being contacted on Facebook Messenger.
  • Don’t pay to put your name on a waiting list or to get the vaccine. The BBB Scam Tracker has received reports of scammers charging for fake vaccine appointments. The federal government provides the Vaccine free to everyone living in the United States. Vaccine providers cannot bill you for the vaccine. Any other claim is a scam.
  • Be very careful when giving out personal information. You don’t need your bank account details, credit card information, or social security number to schedule a vaccine appointment.
  • Always check the URL before entering any personal information. Scammers often buy official looking urls to use in their drawbacks. Be careful that the link is really what it claims to be. If the message is supposed to be from the local government, make sure the URL ends in .gov (for the US). If in doubt, do a separate internet search for the website or call the source directly.
  • Research offers carefully. Scammers are very creative, so be skeptical of anything that seems too good to be true. Check all information about the vaccine with official news sources.

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If you’ve discovered a scam, report it on BBB.org/ScamTracker.