{"id":69261,"date":"2021-02-16T18:20:31","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T23:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=69261"},"modified":"2021-02-16T18:29:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T23:29:32","slug":"need-a-covid-vaccine-watch-out-for-appointment-scams-florida-attorney-general-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=69261","title":{"rendered":"Need a COVID vaccine? Watch out for appointment scams, Florida attorney general warns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did the caller offering to set up your COVID-19 vaccine appointment ask for money or Medicare information? Was the call unexpected because you didn\u2019t think you were eligible for a shot?<\/p>\n

Then put on your Florida Fraud detector glasses \u2014 it might very well be a scam, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned in a consumer alert on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida is turning the corner with vaccinations outpacing infections,\u201d Moody says in the alert. \u201cThis is great news, but it would be a mistake to let your guard down now \u2014 we need to remain vigilant, not only in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but also in protecting against scams that exploit the pandemic in an effort to steal your money or identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are the styles of COVID appointment scams in her alert, as gathered from consumers and media:<\/p>\n

Paying for appointments<\/h3>\n

The vaccine is free. So is the appointment. But scammers know how exasperating it can be to get a vaccine appointment and know that when people get desperate, they\u2019ll pay for services they should be getting for free.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a website or a phone call, \u201cknow that any offer requiring payment in order to place the consumer on a wait list, secure an appointment or expedite access to the vaccine is a scam,\u201d Moody warns.<\/p>\n

Medicare at-home vaccinations<\/h3>\n

This one starts with a phone call offering a senior citizen vaccination shots through Medicare <\/a>via house call. Again, this one plays on the appointment-making frustration combined with the lure of not having to be around a lot of people and\/or stand in a long line while waiting for your vaccination shots.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a fraudulent soup and salad trying to turn a senior into a sucker. The caller wants Medicare information for that Florida favorite, Medicare fraud.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdditionally, know that Medicare representatives will never visit seniors at home nor call to sell something,\u201d Moody said.<\/p>\n

Read more here: https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/coronavirus\/article249279155.html?ac_cid=DM387443&ac_bid=-522347576#storylink=cpy<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did the caller offering to set up your COVID-19 vaccine appointment ask for money or Medicare information? Was the call unexpected because you didn\u2019t think you were eligible for a shot? Then put on your Florida Fraud detector glasses \u2014 it might very well be a scam, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"saved","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69261"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69265,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69261\/revisions\/69265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}