Don’t Fall for the Vaccine Review Scam
Since most people have already received checks from COVID, scammers have switched to phishing attempts related to vaccines, and this takes people by surprise. The FTC is warning people to stay away from inappropriate text or emails offering rewards for completing a vaccine survey as they say it is a scam. Here’s what you need to know and how to avoid it.
How does the scam work?
A scammer posing as a vaccine manufacturer will send you a vaccine survey request by email or text message. These requests also promise rewards for completing the survey, sometimes in cash or more often as a “free gift” such as an iPad. The survey questions will also seem credible, which may explain why so many people fell for this scam (as one victim described it: “Nothing like this in the survey made me suspicious – I’m a skeptic!”).
However, in order to claim your prize, you will be asked to pay a lower “shipping” or “handling” fee and enter your bank information on a fake form. Of course, no prize will ever be sent or processed. Scammers will try to steal your money using your bank account details as well as any other personal information you share.
How to avoid survey fraud
The FTC states that no legitimate survey will ever ask for your credit card or bank account number to “pay” a free reward. And there is also no reason why a vaccine manufacturer would require personal information like your Social Security number or date of birth, especially in unsolicited email text. The Better Business Bureau, which also reported survey fraud, offers the following tips on how to avoid them:
- The letter states that he has information about you, but you never subscribed to him. Scams often pretend to be personalized to you, but they are actually explosive emails. Don’t fall for it! If you’ve never subscribed to emails from a company, you shouldn’t receive them.
- Forces you to act immediately : Scammers usually try to nudge you into action before you have time to think. Always beware of emails urging you to act immediately or face the consequences.
- Watch out for typos, strange wording, and bad grammar . Fraudsters can easily copy a brand name, but awkward phrasing and poor grammar usually indicate the message is a scam. For example, one version of a survey fraud posing as Pfizer uses the wrong company logo.
- Hover over URLs to find out their true destination. Typically, hyperlinked text says one thing, while the link points to another. Make sure the links actually point to the company’s official website and not to a variant of the domain name.
If you receive an email or text message requesting your personal information and you believe it may be fraudulent, please report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov .