California Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned residents Monday about a new fraud scheme involving phony COVID-19 contact tracers.

In this scheme, scam artists pretend to be contact tracers to trick Californians into divulging private personal information such as Social Security numbers, financial information, or health insurance information. These scam artists are contacting Californians by phone, email, or text.

Contact Tracers

Contact tracing is an important tool to slow the spread of coronavirus.

This tool helps local public health departments identify people who may have been in contact with a COVID-19 infected individual. Once informed, people can quickly take proper precautions.

Avoid Falling Victim

To avoid falling victim to this scam, the state Department of Justice offers these tips and precautions:

• Real contact tracers will only ask you about your medical symptoms and the people you may have been in contact with.
• Real contact tracers will never ask for your Social Security number, financial or health insurance information.
• If someone claiming to be a contact tracer asks for any kind of financial information or tries to charge you money, it is a scam. Report it.