Never Buy Or Sell Fake Vaccine Cards
As millions of North Carolinians get vaccinated to protect themselves and others against COVID-19 and the dangerous Delta variant, fraudsters are buying and selling fake vaccine cards. These fake cards are illegal, and buying or selling a falsified government seal is a federal crime.
Watch Out for Counterfeit COVID-19 Vaccine Offers
As North Carolina continues to administer vaccines to people across the state, please be on the lookout for offers for unapproved or counterfeit vaccines. Here’s what you should know about these offers and about other COVID-19 vaccine scams.
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Hang Up on Utility Phone Call Scams
Scams targeting electric and natural gas customers are on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phone scammers may pose as utilities providers, calling you to claim that you owe the company money. They may threaten to disconnect your service and insist that you immediately pay them with a prepaid debit card. In June 2020, Duke Energy reported that it had the highest amount of reported scam attempts to date.
Watch out for Job Post Scams for Covid-19 Contact Tracers
Watch out for job posting scams impersonating the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. These postings claim to be hiring contact tracers to help get in touch with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in North Carolina and trace their contacts to help prevent further spread of the virus. These scammers are falsely offering generous compensation and benefits to persuade people to hand over their information.
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Watch for Mail Containing Economic Impact Payment Debit Cards
Nearly 4 million people have received their economic payment from the federal government through the mail on a prepaid debit card, and consumers from across North Carolina have called our office to ask if these are scam letters. While you should always look out for potential scams when receiving unsolicited letters, mail from Money Network Cardholder Services is likely legitimate and may contain your payment.
Protect Yourself from Unemployment Fraud
The U.S. Secret Service has alerted our office about an unemployment fraud scheme targeting people in states across the country, including North Carolina. The scammers, based in Nigeria, use personal information stolen in data breaches and hacks to file for unemployment in someone else’s name.
GUIDE: Protect Yourself from Coronavirus Scams
Report scams to the North Carolina Department of Justice at ncdoj.gov/complaint or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
Consumer Alert: Watch out for Scammers Posing as Family Members to Steal your Money
During the coronavirus pandemic, scammers are leveraging your fear for your loved one’s safety to steal your money and personal information. Reports have been received from our federal partners of scammers putting a new spin on the common grandparent scam during the pandemic. In this scam, criminals pose as panicked grandchildren in need of money to help with an emergency (urgent medical bills, bail, or plane tickets).
