Image of a fake text message. Shared by Thomaston, ME Police Department

By BECKY RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

COVID-19 Text Scams

Police departments across the nation have been alerting cell phone users of a new COVID-19 themed text message scam, pictured above.

The text messages come from many different numbers, and they claim to alert users of “contact with a COVID-19 positive” person and ask that users follow a link for “more information”. If you get a text like this, do not click the link. This is a scam; the link leads to a website that will ask you to input personal information. Also important- do not reply to these text messages. By confirming that your number is active, you let the scammer know that you are a potential victim and that they can keep trying.

There are many other text message scams out there right now that try to impersonate government agencies and try to get users to click a link to take an “online coronavirus test”. Ignore these and do not follow the link; you will either have your personal information stolen or get malware installed on your device.

This scam tries to take advantage of the fact that some of the world’s biggest tech companies and government agencies are working to develop COVID-19 tracking apps right now. It is important to note that most of these are not yet operational.  You should not be expecting the CDC or any other government agency to send you a text message alerting you about contact with a COVID-19 positive person.

Be cautious of COVID-19 apps

Are you looking for COVID-19 apps in the Apple or Google app stores? Be careful; there are many fake apps out there that will just install malware onto your device. Never download an app from any third party store, always download from the official app store. Keep in mind that fake apps can still get into legit app stores. Be cautious of any app that requests excessive permissions. Does an app that is meant to diagnose COVID-19 symptoms really need access to your email, photos, contacts, etc.? Probably not, so be careful what permissions you give over to any mobile apps.

Both Google and Apple are currently building a coronavirus tracking system into iOS and Android. This tracking system will rely on BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) transmissions and approved apps from health organizations like the CDC. These will likely not be completed until mid-May, but we can expect to see an onslaught of fake tracker apps when these apps launch. These systems will probably not be able to replace older methods of contact tracing (interviewing people about who they have spent time with). Still, it could offer a supplement to help increase the accuracy of COVID-19 tracking.

For now, use caution with any text messages claiming to alert you about COVID-19, or with any COVID-19 apps. Be aware, be careful, and don’t get scammed.  

Editor’s note: Becky Rutherford works in information technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory.