MACON, Ga. — As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out across the state, Georgia's Attorney General Chris Carr says scammers have been calling, emailing, and texting people asking for money in exchange for the vaccine.
Caral Taylor of Houston County says she's received at least five of those suspicious calls -- the most recent call was last week.
"It just feels quite annoying, because it's to the point where I'm blocking. Now, I don't know if it's a regular number calling, or they'll have an 800 number," she said.
Taylor says she's been receiving calls about the vaccine since January. It caught her by surprise because she says she never signed up for anything related to the vaccine. She says they've asked her for personal information.
"So they'll ask all that and then require a payment, and as soon as I asked, 'OK, well, can I give you a call back? Can I get your supervisor's information?' They tend to hang up. When you try to call back, there's no answer, or it says that it's invalid," said Taylor.
Carr tweeted, "Sadly, during this time of heightened emotions, scammers are once again trying to make a buck by capitalizing on people's health concerns. Don't fall for scams requiring you to pay for COVID-19 vaccine."
Carr's office issued a list of tips to avoid getting scammed.
Hunter Jones with the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia says COVID-19 scams have been very popular.
"We've had people asking for Medicare card numbers, Social Security numbers -- you should not be giving out any of this information," said Jones.
Jones says anytime someone offers to charge you for the vaccine, that's a major red flag because the vaccine is free.
"If you do have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, such as when you can when you can access it, I definitely recommend contacting the health department or your health provider or doctor," he said.
Jones says there have been about 40 reports of COVID-19 scams in Central Georgia -- he wants people to be cautious.
Jones also says if you get the vaccine, never post a picture of your vaccine card on social media. The card contains a lot of personal information.