Survey scam is back with a COVID-19 twist

PHOENIX – Did you receive a text with a survey about your vaccine? It’s one of those scams that just keeps reappearing… each time with a new twist. This time, the phony survey claims to be from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, with questions about their COVID-19 vaccine.

How the scam works

You receive an email or text message that claims to be from Pfizer, one of the pharmaceutical companies producing an approved COVID-19 vaccine. In some versions, the message claims that you will receive money for completing a quick survey. Other versions offer a “free” product or gift.

It sounds easy, but don’t click the link. These survey scams have a variety of tricks. The link may lead to a real survey, which upon completion, prompts you to sign up for a “free trial offer.” Victims reported to BBB Scam Tracker that they entered their credit card information to pay what they thought was a shipping fee. Instead, the scammers billed them many times more and never sent the product. In other versions, the form is actually a phishing scam that requests banking and credit card information.

“I received an email asking me to complete a survey in support of COVID-19 research which offered up to $1,200 as a reward. After completing the survey, the website asked me to choose a gift but then I was required to pay a fee of $19.73 for shipping and handling,” a victim said in a report to BBB’s Scam Tracker.

Just because scammers are currently impersonating Pfizer, doesn’t mean the other COVID-19 vaccine producers are off the hook. Watch out for variations claiming to be from Janssen and Moderna, too.

How to spot a survey scam

In general, it’s best not to click on links that come in unsolicited emails. Here are some more ways to spot a malicious email just in case your spam filter doesn’t catch it.

1. The email claims to have information about you, but you never signed up for it. Scams often pretend to be personalized for you, but they are actually blast emails. Don’t fall for these tricks. If you never signed up for emails from a company, you shouldn’t be receiving them.

2. It pushes you to act immediately. Scammers typically try to push you into action before you have had time to think. Always be wary of emails urging you to act immediately or face a consequence.

3. Watch for typos, strange phrasing and bad grammar. Scammers can easily copy a brand’s name, but awkward wording and poor grammar are typically a giveaway that the message is a scam. For example, one version of the survey scam impersonating Pfizer uses the wrong company logo.

4. Hover over URLs to reveal their true destination. Typically, the hyperlinked text will say one thing, but the link will point somewhere else. Make sure the links actually lead to the business’s official website, not a variation of the domain name.

BBB has identified many ways in which scammers are cashing in the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about clinical trial scams, contract tracing cons, counterfeit face masks and government agency impostors.

Sign up for BBB Scam Alerts to receive weekly notices of emerging scams to avoid, and if you’ve spotted a scam, report it to http://BBB.org/ScamTracker.

BBB encourages businesses to operate with integrity and helps consumers make wise marketplace decisions. Their approach to business growth provides the tools that companies and entrepreneurs need to build better businesses. By working side by side with industry experts, they unite with a common goal. Become BBB Accredited and join their mission to create a community of trust.

Submitted by the Better Business Bureau.