City Of Meriden Provides Tips For Avoiding Coronavirus Contact Tracing Scams

From the City of Meriden:

January 10, 2021

The Meriden Health and Human Services Department together with the Meriden Police Department have become aware that members of the general public are receiving calls from scammers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers requesting private information such as financial information and social security numbers. The City of Meriden would like to provide its residents with tips on how to avoid COVID-19 fraud schemes. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has listed various methods in which scammers are targeting individuals.

Contact tracing is an important tool to fight the spread of the virus. It enables local public health departments to track down people who may have come into contact with the coronavirus without being aware of doing so, and allows them to then take proper precautions. Contact tracers will ask for medical symptoms and about anyone with whom you’ve had contact. They will not ask for personal financial information or your social security number. All calls or requests for private information like social security numbers or financial information is fraudulent in nature and needs to be reported to the Meriden Police Department non-emergency line (203-238-1911).

The Meriden Police Department urges its community to take the following precautionary measures to protect themselves from known and emerging scams:

• Never share your personal or financial information via email, text messages, or over the phone.
• Be cautious if you're being pressured to share any information or make a payment immediately.
• Scammers often alter their number to trick you into answering or responding. Remember that government agencies will never call you to ask for personal information or money.

If you think you've been a victim of a coronavirus scam, contact law enforcement immediately. For more information about scam calls and texts, visit the CDC website regarding “COVID-19 Related Phone Scams and Phishing Attacks”.

This press release was produced by the City of Meriden. The views expressed here are the author’s own.