By Emily Featherston | January 11, 2021 at 9:00 PM EST – Updated January 11 at 9:33 PM
NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) – With limited supplies and appointments filling up and with thousands waiting, North Carolina’s top law enforcement official wants to make sure the public doesn’t fall victim to coronavirus vaccine-related crimes.
“People are really scared when it’s their health, and understandably so,” NC Attorney General Josh Stein said.
He said his office has not had any reports or complaints filed so far, but he is concerned about the risk of potential scams, especially for those 75 or older.
“Unfortunately, the scammers are always changing their scam to meet what is the news of the day,” he said. “So the two we’re most concerned about right now are the vaccine scams, people promising that you can somehow move to the front of the line when you can’t, and then other people trying to steal folks economic impact payments.”
The priority framework for vaccine distribution has been established, but Stein said they are concerned unsuspecting people may be convinced they can get a coveted appointment by paying up.
“Nobody can move you to the front of the line with the vaccine, you have your order based on who you are,” he said. “If somebody sends you a text or an email, saying that they can get you to get your vaccine quicker by paying them some money, obviously, there are criminal trying to steal your money.”
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