1. Reports to the DOJ show that consumers are receiving the bogus surveys in emails or texts. You should never click on links in communications that claim to be a vaccine survey unless the message is from a known and verified source.
2. Consumers are being told that “as a gift for filling out the survey, they can choose from various free prizes, such as an iPad Pro.” The messages claim that the recipients need to pay only shipping and handling to receive their prize. But after they pay those fees, they never receive the promised prize.
3. Schemes that use links embedded in unsolicited texts and emails in attempts to obtain PII are called phishing scams. They may appear to come from government agencies, financial institutions, shipping firms and social media companies, among many other entities. Carefully examine any message purporting to be from such a source, and do not click on a link in an unsolicited email or text.
4. Remember that companies won't contact you to ask for your username or password.
5. When in doubt, contact the entity that purportedly sent the suspicious, potentially fraudulent message, but do not click on anything in it. That contact info could be just as sketchy, so use a phone number or website from an invoice. Regrettably, even internet search results can turn up sham contact information, so make sure to rely only on authentic sites.
If you are not sure if something is a scam you can call Access Alliance Insurance Group (AAIG) and we can try to help you sort it out. 866-454-9467