Health Officials Warn Boulder Residents Of COVID-19 Contact Tracer Scam
By Rebekah Gonzalez
November 18, 2020
Scammers have been taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak through misinformation and scare tactics.
Their latest swindle involves scammers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers, according to CBS4.
Boulder County Public Health officials are alerting residents to steer clear of the new scam after being notified about a recent incident in the county.
"We do know it was two people who came to the door of a residence in the town of Superior, and they started asking some questions and making some statements that the resident felt uncomfortable with," said Boulder County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, Carrie Haverfield.
Contact tracers will never visit residents door-to-door, says the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. They also gave tips to help people avoid these types of scams.
"Legitimate public health officials are going to contact you via phone, email, or letter, and they will already have some basic information about you," Haverfield continued. "If they start asking you for a lot more identifying information that would be a red flag. If someone comes to your home and says that they're out doing contact tracing, and they're looking for a fee or a payment, that is not legitimate."
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office says you should never be charged for contact tracing and the best way to get information about COVID-19 testing and tracing is to directly contact your county's public health department.
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