Contact tracing plays a vital role in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 and by now, you’re probably pretty much aware what contact tracing is. It’s the process of identifying people who have come in contact with someone who’s been tested positive for COVID-19, placing them in quarantine and monitoring their symptoms daily.
Contact tracers are hired by a state’s department of public health. They work with the infected persons to get the names and contact information for everyone that the infected person came in close contact with as they may have become infectious due to the contact.
People who had contact with someone infected with COVID-19 may receive a text message from the health department. The text will inform them that they will be getting a call from a specific number.
The tracer who calls will not ask for any personally identifiable information (PII), like a Social Security number. Depending on the state, you may be asked to enroll in a text message program, which sends daily health and safety reminders until the 14-day quarantine ends.
Contact tracers will never ask you for money or information like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card number. Anyone who asks for this information is a scammer.
Scammers pretending to be contact tracers are taking advantage of how the process works. They’re also sending text messages that look real but theirs are spam text messages that ask you to click a link or click on an image. Real contact tracing links are informational and will never contain a link of image to click.
