Is that a real NC contact tracer on the phone? How to spot and avoid this new scam.
Proving that there’s no situation in which thieves will not rear their greedy heads, agencies across the country are reporting that phone scammers are now pretending to be health department contact tracers.
In most versions of the scam, a caller identifies themselves as being from the local health department and tells the person on the phone that they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 — but then the caller asks for credit card information or a Social Security number.
This is your giant, waving red flag: a legitimate contact tracer will never ask you for financial information or for your Social Security number, according to both the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The scams can also occur through text messages or emails.
A spokesperson at the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office said they have been warned of the scam by federal partners, and that the scammers “are exploiting fears about COVID-19 to try to gain access to people’s personal and financial information.”
The best defense against the scams is to know how contact tracing works in North Carolina and know how to spot the scammer red flags.
How an NC contact tracer will contact you
If you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, a person from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will either call, text or email you to let you know.
▪ In the case of a phone call, NC DHHS says your phone display will either read the phone number for the local health department, or the words NC OUTREACH.
▪ A legitimate text from NC’s COVID-19 Community Team will come from the number 45394.
▪ Legitimate emails will come from the email address NC-ARIAS-NoReply@dhhs.nc.gov.
The NC Attorney General’s Office advises that in the case of any contact from someone claiming to be a contact tracer, hang up and call your local health department directly to see whether the call is legitimate.
What an NC contact tracer will ask you
▪ The tracer will ask you how you are feeling, and offer information on how to get tested and how to help slow the spread of the virus.
▪ The tracer will ask you where you have been and ask you to identify other people you have been in contact with. They will not share your name with anyone they call, and they will not share any names with you.
NC DHHS emphasizes that any information shared during a call with a contact tracer is a private health record and is strictly confidential.
▪ A legitimate contact tracer will never ask for your Social Security number or for credit card or banking numbers. If someone on a call asks you for any of this information, hang up and call your local health department to report the incident. You should also report the incident to the NC Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
You missed a contact tracer call. Should you call back?
If you miss a call from a contact tracer, you should call them back. But first be sure that it’s a legitimate call and phone number.
If a North Carolina contact tracer cannot reach you by phone, they will leave a message identifying themselves with their first name and with the county health department from which they are calling.
According to NCDHHS, the tracer will say: “We are contacting you about an urgent public health matter. We would like to speak with you to provide further information and share guidance.”
They will ask you to call them back through the local health department, and they will provide a number.
It’s always a good idea to check to make sure the number is legitimate, so that you’re not inadvertently dialing a bogus call center.
If the caller does not provide you with the local health department’s website, there is a list of all of North Carolina’s county health departments and their phone numbers at ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/county-health-departments.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Is that a real NC contact tracer on the phone? How to spot and avoid this new scam.."
