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  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bulldog, , , , , vaccines   

    Puppies don’t need a COVID vaccine 

    Puppies don't need a COVID vaccine

    By Greg Collier

    The puppy scam is a type of online scam where scammers pose as legitimate breeders or sellers of puppies, and offer to sell or adopt out puppies to unsuspecting victims. They often use online platforms such as classified ads or social media to advertise their puppies and attract potential buyers.

    Once a victim expresses interest in a puppy, the scammer will ask for payment for the puppy and related expenses such as shipping or insurance. However, after the payment is made, the scammer will disappear without providing the puppy.

    A woman from Georgia recently fell victim to this scam, and the scammers made an unusual request. The woman thought she found a breeder of bulldogs on Puppies.com. The scammers claimed to sell bulldogs at thousands of dollars below typical market value. After the woman paid the initial $650 for a puppy, the scammers kept asking for more money. She then paid a $200, shipping fee, close to $1000 for a shipping crate, and $1800 for COVID vaccinations.

    The COVID vaccinations should have been a dead giveaway that this was a scam. For one, puppies don’t need COVID vaccinations. If the vaccines were supposedly for any workers, $1800 would be enough for 450 to 900 employees.

    The victim realized that she was being scammed after being asked to pay an additional $2600 for an airport fee. In total, she lost close to $4000 to the scammers, which is the current going price for purebred bulldog puppies.

    To avoid falling victim to the puppy scam, it is important to research the breeder or seller thoroughly, ask for references or recommendations from others who have purchased puppies from them, and never send money without receiving proof of the puppy’s existence and health.

    As always, we recommend adopting a puppy or even an adult dog from your local shelter. When you adopt a puppy from a shelter, you are providing a second chance for a dog that may have otherwise been euthanized. Shelters are often overcrowded and underfunded, and adopting a puppy from a shelter can help free up space and resources for other dogs in need.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 25, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , vaccination card, vaccines   

    Fake vaccine cards are showing up online 

    Fake vaccine cards are showing up online

    By Greg Collier

    Previously, the Better Business Bureau warned people who received the COVID-19 vaccine not to post pictures of their vaccine cards on social media. The thought behind this was not only could these pictures potentially lead to identity theft, but scammers could make phony vaccine cards. Now it seems that one of those chickens has come home to roost.

    The Better Business Bureau of Illinois is reporting that blank vaccine card knockoffs have started appearing for sale online. Reports state that the phony cards have shown up on eBay, OfferUp, and of course Craigslist. The cards are being sold for as much as $200.

    The danger behind these cards are the fact there are people who actively avoiding getting the vaccine. Vaccine cards may start being required for things like air travel or public gatherings. If unvaccinated people are start using these cards to get around restrictions, we could potentially start seeing another wave of infections. Considering the number of people who won’t even wear a mask to the supermarket, these cards could constitute a serious health hazard to the population. Not only that, but the cards could allow unvaccinated people who are potentially carrying the disease to return to public places like job sites or schools to spread new strains of the virus to unsuspecting victims.

    If you’re thinking about buying one of these cards you may want to rethink your plan. Using falsified government documents is a crime. Keep in mind that the authentic cards are furnished by the CDC, a branch of the American government. If someone were to use one of these cards to get on a plane, and they get caught, they could be facing a pretty big fine or even jail time.

    Instead, why not just get the vaccine when it becomes available for you in your state. The shot is a lot cheaper than buying one of these phony cards, and it won’t land you in jail.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 15, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , vaccines   

    Don’t let strangers take Grandma to her vaccination 

    Don't let strangers take Grandma to her vaccination

    In most states, seniors age 75 or older are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. One of the problems these seniors face is that they may not have reliable transportation to get to one of their state’s vaccination centers. In order to combat this problem, the state of Massachusetts has adopted a program where those who transport the senior citizen to the vaccination center can also receive the vaccine.

    The program was intended to give caregivers such as a spouse or adult child to take their loved one to get the vaccine. However, like most things that have good intentions at heart, there are those who look to take advantage of the program. Almost as soon as the program was announced, there were those who took to Craigslist offering money to seniors who would let them accompany them to the vaccination center. At least one person has offered over $1000 to allow them to accompany a senior to their vaccination.

    While it’s natural for people to be desperate to receive the vaccine, some of these offers could potentially be from scammers. Since seniors tend to be the largest target for scammers, this program has opened a golden opportunity for con artists. These scams could range from identity theft to a Medicare scam and anything in between. That’s not even taking the senior’s safety into account. Craigslist has been known to have a less than stellar reputation when it comes to user safety.

    When most of us were children, we always heard the warning of not getting into cars with strangers. If this is what we tell our children, then it should apply to our older family members as well. Do you really want a parent or grandparent getting into a vehicle with a stranger so they can get their vaccine?

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 2, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , vaccines   

    Don’t share your COVID-19 vaccination card 

    If you’re one of the 32 million people who have started their COVID-19 vaccine treatment, you may want to share the good news with others. While it’s great that you want to encourage others to get the vaccine, you may want to be careful how you share the news.

    The Better Business Bureau is warning vaccine recipients about posting pictures of their vaccination cards to social media. Again, it’s great that you’re being proactive about the pandemic, however, the cars contain enough information that could lead to identity theft if posted publicly. The card contain your full name and date of birth which may not sound like much but is enough information for identity thieves to start looking into your personal information.

    There’s another much more sinister reason why you should post your vaccination card online. There are people who are actively avoiding getting the vaccine. This puts the health of the nation at serious risk if enough people refuse the vaccine. Instead of life getting back to normal, COVID-19 will become a constant in our society. Since scammers are always looking to take advantage of a situation no matter the cost to everyone else, there is a market for phony vaccination cards that can be copied from yours. This would allow the unvaccinated who are potentially carrying the disease to return to public places like job sites or schools to spread new strains of the virus to unsuspecting victims.

    You’ve already taken the first step toward helping your community get healthier. So, we hope you don’t take a step back by allowing your medical information to be made public.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 8, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , vaccines   

    Scams around the vaccine start to emerge 

    Scams around the vaccine start to emerge

    Previously, when the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine was announced, we discussed potential scams that could emerge during the rollout. Some of these scams are no longer theoretical as scammers have begun to try to find new victims.

    While each state has their own distribution schedule, one thing remains constant across the country. The COVID-19 vaccine will be afforded to most people at no cost outside a small administration fee charged by some providers. Historically, these administration fees have been largely negligible. This fact hasn’t stopped scammers from using a promise of the vaccine from stealing your money or information.

    In Missouri, scammers are posing as contact tracers and called at least one victim to tell them that the victim had been exposed at a local business. The scammer than read off the victim’d credit card number to them and asked for the three-digit security code. Legitimate contact tracers will never ask for your financial information.

    Upstate New York is said to be experiencing a similar scam. Scammers are not only posing as contact tracers, they are also asking for information such as your driver’s license number along with other identifying information. According to officials, contact tracers will only ask for your name, address, date of birth and phone number. They will never ask for your Social Security number.

    In Florida, one particular scam is disturbing. At least one scammer has been driving around in a van claiming to be from the county health department. He’s been going to people’s houses and asking residents for copies of their insurance cards in preparation for receiving the vaccine. Again, the vaccine is free and health insurance is not required to receive it.

    If you have concerns about when you’ll be able to receive the vaccine you can usually check with your state or county’s health department website.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 17, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , vaccines   

    More COVID vaccine scams are on their way 

    More COVID vaccine scams are on their way

    We’ve already posted about scams that are expected to follow the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Even more scams are now expected if they haven’t started already.

    These scams will be relatively easy to avoid if you keep one piece of information in mind. As of this posting, the vaccine can not be purchased, online or otherwise. According to the website of the Centers for Disease Control, vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. In essence, the vaccine is free outside of a small provider fee.

    However, that won’t be stopping the scammers from trying to use the fear of the virus to get you to buy vaccines they don’t really have. According to reports, scammers will be sending out phishing emails stressing how urgent it is that you should get the vaccine. These emails could look like they’re coming from legitimate organizations like the CDC, Medicare, or even your own medical provider’s office.

    As with most phishing emails, the scammers are trying to get you to click on a link contained in the email. The link will likely do one of two things. It will either take you to a fake but legitimate-looking website that asks you for personal or payment information. Or it will inject some type of malware onto your device. If you give out your information, that could lead to identity theft and fraudulent purchases. If you allow malware onto your device, that could lead to your device being scanned for your information or it could be remotely held hostage with some ransomware.

    We know it sounds cliche, but literally, we are all in this together. We will all have the opportunity to be vaccinated against this destructive disease that has taken so many lives. If we’re all patient and work together, we could beat this virus before we know it.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 15, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , vaccines   

    Scams will follow the vaccine rollout 

    Scams will follow the vaccine rollout

    Yesterday, vaccines for COVID-19 started rolling out across the country. Due to the initial limited supply, not everyone will be able to get one right away. The first round of vaccines are said to be going to frontline and essential workers. As you might expect, scammers are said to be already using the news of the vaccine in their latest scams.

    Scammers have been using the current pandemic to take advantage of consumers since almost day one. Previously, scammers have touted fake cures, used fake testing to gain medical information, and promised phony contact tracing jobs, just to name a few. So, it should come as no surprise that scammers are jumping on the news of a coronavirus vaccine.

    The latest scams seem to be taking one of two forms. The first one is that the scammers are calling victims and claiming to have the vaccine already. Unless they’re a medical facility or health department, they don’t have the vaccine. These scammers might be spoofing the numbers of local facilities. They’re probably looking to either take your money or steal your personal information if history is any indicator.

    The second form of the scam is scammers are promising their victims they can get them the vaccine earlier than they’re supposed to. Much like what happened with a similar scam involving the economic impact payments, no one can get you the vaccine early. Once again, this is probably another tactic of trying to get your money or information.

    When it comes to the vaccine, you should only listen to your physician or your local health department. No stranger that calls you out of the blue has your best interest in mind, They’re only looking to take from you in these confusing times.

    We’ll all be able to eventually get the vaccine as long as we remain patient and continue to practice current safety guidelines.

     

  • Geebo 10:26 am on February 18, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Adam Schiff, Andrew Wakefield, anti-vaxxers, , , vaccines   

    Should social media companies police anti-vaxx groups? 

    Should social media companies police anti-vaxx groups?

    There once was a time in this country when people were grateful for advancements in medical science such as the polio vaccine. People of a certain age still bare the small scar that the initial polio vaccines carried but such a small price to be paid to prevent such a horrible disease. Then in the late 1990s, a British doctor by the name of Andrew Wakefield publishes a study that alleged a link between childhood vaccines and autism. Even though Wakefield’s claims were quickly disproven that hasn’t stopped an entire movement of people who refuse to vaccinate their children over fears of their children becoming autistic. This movement has been dubbed by many as the Anti-Vaxx movement and has proliferated across the internet.

    Anti-Vaxx groups have found their core audience on places like Facebook and YouTube where their misinformation continues to find a top footing among the sites’ search algorithms. Because of that, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff wrote to both Google and Facebook requesting they take action claiming that these Anti-Vaxx groups are a “direct threat to public health” and that it undoes “progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.” Facebook responded by saying that they were looking into the matter. Meanwhile, pockets of outbreaks of diseases that were almost thought to have been eradicated have reemerged. So the question remains should companies like Facebook and Google do something about Anti-Vaxxer groups?

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV7XMvRr7Bk]

    Neither of these companies has to be a complete censorship tyrant when it comes to Anti-Vaxxing. However, due to the overwhelming scientific evidence in favor of vaccinating children against these preventable diseases, they can tweak their search algorithms to better promote more responsible content. Just in doing the research for this post, the Google search for Andrew Wakefield came up with more content about how Wakefield was supposedly maligned rather than being debunked. We realize that some people will never be shaken from their misguided belief that vaccines cause autism but if new people could be stopped from being indoctrinated into this dangerous belief then the better off our children and future generations will be.

     

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