PHONE SCAM ALERT!!

No legit COVID-19 contact tracer will ask you these questions
Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News, [Philadelphia Inquirer}

State officials and federal agencies warn there’s a new phone scam circulating: Some callers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers try to pry credit card or bank account information from unsuspecting victims. The grifters apparently are taking advantage of a genuine public health intervention that’s crucial to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus: contact tracing.
In one such scheme, detailed in a warning from the Montana attorney general, scammers tell their victims, “I’m calling from your local health department to let you know that you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.” Then they move in for the kill, asking for payment information “before we continue.”
Don’t fall for that, say public health advocates and officials. Legitimate contact tracers don’t ask for payment or seek other financial information. More details here.

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LISTEN: Contact tracers are detectives, social workers and telemarketers.

Detective, social worker, telemarketer: Contact tracers wear many hats.
The Why: Philly Explained

Ranem Atia works as a contact tracer and case investigator for the Philadelphia Department of Health, playing a critical role for understanding where and how fast COVID-19 is spreading and, ultimately, for saving lives. It’s not an easy job. To do this work effectively, Ranem and her fellow contact tracers need to be be good detectives, social workers and telemarketers.
Listen to this episode of The Why.