Released by the OCSO.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a release today to make our citizens aware of a potential COVID-19 scam.
Earlier today, the Public Information Office was notified by a citizen that they received a call from the Coronavirus Hotline that stated that if they were on Medicare that they would eligible to receive a Coronavirus test kit.
The citizen spoke with someone who had an accent who asked for the citizen’s address, phone numbers, social security number information and their spouse’s name. The citizen did not provide any information to the caller.
“Scammers will use any trick in the book in order to steal someone’s personal identifying information, including using the current COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Master Deputy Jimmy Watt, Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Office.
“Scammers will use a sense of urgency in an attempt to elicit a reaction from those they are trying to scam. The Sheriff’s Office recommends following the protocol and guideline recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control in regards to COVID-19 and if you have any questions about COVID-19 and the testing protocol, contact your healthcare professional. Always remember to never give out any personal identifying information or financial account information over the telephone regardless of the circumstances for which someone calls you. Any entity that you do business with has that information anyway and should have no need to require it from you.”
