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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warns against vaccine scams

April 6, 2021
<p>Journalism junior Maddie Monroe is handed her vaccine card and a sticker after getting the COVID-19 vaccine on March 29, 2021.</p>

Journalism junior Maddie Monroe is handed her vaccine card and a sticker after getting the COVID-19 vaccine on March 29, 2021.

Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez | The State News

The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be working with other federal agencies to fight against recent vaccine scams. 

The scammers are emailing and texting patients who were recently vaccinated asking them to participate in a survey, which guarantees a prize after completing the survey. The scammers ask the patients to pay shipping fees for a prize that is never sent. 

“Scammers continue to find ways to steal personal information and although many who have received the COVID vaccine have a sense of pride, it is crucial that people avoid sharing their vaccination cards for this exact reason,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Intellectual Property Rights Center gave important tips on how to detect fraud: 

  • There are no surveys regarding the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines 
  • Messages that are sent for the purpose of gathering information about these vaccines are only trying to seek personal financial information and should be ignored 
  • Do not open any messages or clink on the links in the messages.
  • Do not give personal banking or credit card information. 

Fraudulent messages can be reported to 7726 (SPAM) to be further investigated.

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