Scammers and phishers are trying to steal your money and personal information in phony schemes that promise to get you the COVID-19 vaccine, the FBI and two other federal agencies warn

"The FBI, HHS-OIG, and CMS have received complaints that scammers are attempting to take advantage of public interest in the COVID-19 vaccine to obtain personally identifiable information (PII) and money through various schemes," the FBI, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a warning issued earlier this week

The agencies warn the public to be aware that "[p]ersons claiming to be health care providers, insurance companies, or COVID-19 vaccine centers may request your personal and/or medical information to determine your eligibility to participate in clinical vaccine trials or obtain vaccines

Other related scams include advertisements and offers promising early access to vaccines in exchange for upfront payments, unverified claims of FDA approval of fake vaccines, and false notices that the government has ordered the COVID-19 vaccine

In reality, COVID-19 vaccine is first distributed to those most in need, such as health care workers, emergency first responders, and the elderly in nursing homes Then other high-risk groups, such as prison guards and teachers, will receive the vaccination No one is ordered to receive the vaccine

Federal agencies have created a brief infographic to accompany this warning

Their concerns are certainly justified Last week, the Department of Justice seized two phishing sites that mimicked the websites of Moderna, which produces one of the two approved COVID-19 vaccines, and Regeneron, which produces an experimental treatment for people suffering from the disease Earlier this month, security training firm KnowBe4 detailed the COVID-19 phishing email it saw

This past Tuesday, December 21, security firm Abnormal Security announced that it had uncovered a phishing scam promising a $600 COVID-19 relief stimulus check in exchange for name, address, date of birth, and social security number [15] [16] To avoid being fooled by the COVID-19 scam, the FBI and its fellow agencies urge people to ask their doctors before getting vaccinated, to check the FDA and their state health agency websites to learn more about approved vaccines and their distribution, and to be absolutely certain of a person's reliability not to share health or personal information with anyone unless he or she is absolutely certain