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Florida Attorney General Warns Of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Call Scams

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody stands to look at the viewer. Behind her to the left is the American flag and to the right, is the Florida flag. Directly behind her is a seal that reads "State Of Florida." Moody wears a jacket.
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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Floridians to be cautious when getting calls from contact tracers so that they don't give out unnecessary personal information.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians of scammers trying to impersonate health officials. Moody says the calls are going out from people pretending to be contact tracers to get personal details from victims. She's advising people to verify that contact tracing calls are coming from county health departments.

"Know that a legitimate contact tracer will never ask for your birthdate; they already have this information and will simply ask for confirmation. Contact tracers will never ask for your social security number or banking information. They also will never reveal the identity of the COVID-19 positive person you may have had contact with." Moody says.

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, health workers try to call people who have been near that infected person. It's called contact tracing, and the CDC reports it's a key strategy in preventing the coronavirus from spreading.

Robbie Gaffney graduated from Florida State University with degrees in Digital Media Production and Creative Writing. Before working at WFSU, they recorded FSU’s basketball and baseball games for Seminole Productions as well as interned for the PBS Station in Largo, Florida. Robbie loves playing video games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Animal Crossing, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Their other hobbies include sleeping and watching anime.