Pontiac, Michigan – Oakland County is warning the community of a potential scam related to COVID-19 vaccine appointments. According to reports, the caller is asking questions in order to schedule a vaccine appointment, and then is asking for personal and financial information.

“Oakland County will never ask for any financial information including credit card or social security numbers,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer for Oakland County. “If you are unsure if it is a scam, avoid sharing any personal information over the phone, and report it to the authorities.”

Concerned residents can report scam calls by calling the non-emergency phone number at the local police or Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Avoid becoming a victim of phone scams or identify theft by:

• Making a list of contact information for family members, close friends, health providers or anyone who might call regularly. This will help you know if the call is legitimate.
• Letting a call go to voicemail if you don’t recognize a phone number. Scammers rarely leave messages.
• Hanging up if a stranger asks for personal or financial information. If you do answer the phone, it’s OK to hang up.
• Remembering that government agencies will always identify themselves.
• Not sharing any personal information such as your social security number to anyone over the telephone.

For more information, visit www.oakgov.com/health or call Nurse on Call at 800-848-5533, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. For up-to-date public health information, follow @publichealthOC on Facebook and Twitter.

For media inquiries only please contact Bill Mullan, Oakland County media and communications officer, at 248-858-1048.