California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday warned residents to be on guard against scammers pretending to be coronavirus contact tracers in order to trick people into providing personal information.
By convincing victims they’ve come in contact with someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19, the scammers are able to get information like social security numbers, health insurance information, and financial information, according to Becerra.
The scammers find victims via phone calls, email and text messages.
“Legitimate contact tracers will never ask for personal information such as your Social Security number or financial information. It sickens the soul that there are people out there who make it their business to scam you as most of us seek to band together to respond to the coronavirus pandemic,” Becerra said in a statement.
“I ask all Californians to be alert and protect your personal information. And if you see something, say something. We are working to track these imposters,” he said.
Becerra encourages anyone who believes they’ve been a victim or who may have come across a scammer to file a complaint at www.oag.ca.gov/report.