Since the White House’s announcement in January of additional plans to help Americans fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals have been looking for new ways to exploit the programs to put extra cash in their pockets.
A popular tactic for scammers is to piggyback on the news of at-home COVID-19 tests being made available to Americans at no cost. Since that program was announced, security analysts have seen an increase in phishing, or fraudulent emails, related to at-home testing, particularly scams trying to trick people into paying for free test kits—or paying for test kits that will never arrive at all.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says if you are asked for more than your name and address when ordering a free, government-provided COVID-19 test kit, it’s a scam.
Additionally, nobody from the federal government will ever call, text, email or message you on social media to ask for your personal information to “help” you order your free test kits. The FTC recommends ordering your free at-home COVID-19 test kits via official channels: online at COVIDtests.gov or by phone at 800-232-0233.
If you identify potential fraud, the FTC asks that you report it to them at ReportFraud.FTC.gov or to your state’s attorney general. Report a scam to Nebraska’s attorney general at ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov
For more from the FTC regarding at-home test kit scams, visit their resource page.
BCBSNE members can find information about benefits for COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and treatment, as well as benefits for telehealth services at NebraskaBlue.com/COVID.
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