Contact tracer or scammer?

In order to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus our county health departments are conducting contract tracing to track down and isolate infected people, and to alert people who may have been exposed. Contact tracers do their work by contacting individuals and asking them questions designed to help determine who has been exposed and who may be infected.

This creates an opportunity for imposters to try to get our personal information for identity theft.

We have a duty to the community to cooperate with legitimate contact tracers, and our health departments have the authority to legally order us to cooperate. So if you are contacted by someone claiming to be a coronovirus contact tracer you should carefully determine if the person asking for our personal information is legitimate or an imposter.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says legitimate contact tracers may call, email, text, or visit your home to collect information. They may ask you for:

• your name and address
• health information
• the names of places and people you have visited

Scammers will ask you to do more. Here are some things to do to protect yourself from fake contact tracers.

• Don’t pay a contact tracer. Anyone who says you need to pay is a scammer, plain and simple.
• Don’t give your Social Security number or financial information. There’s no reason for a legit contact tracer to need your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number.
• Don’t share your immigration status. Legit contact tracers don’t need — and won’t ask for — this information.
• Don’t click on links or download anything sent from a contact tracer. Real tracers will only send you texts or emails that say they’ll be calling you — not ask you to click or download anything.

What should you do if you think you’re dealing with a fake contact tracer? Check with your state health department to see if they have a way to make sure the person contacting you is a real contact tracer. Otherwise, hang up, close the door, or don’t respond to, click on, or download anything that may be in an email or text. Then, report it to your state and tell the FTC about it at FTC.gov/complaint.

Any West Virginia senior age 60 or over can call WV Senior Legal Aid and talk to a lawyer about contact tracing or other legal issues. 1.800.229.5068.

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

June 15 every year is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This year many older people are struggling with isolation more than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we know isolation is a big risk factor for elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

On this day we focus on preventing, intervening in, and getting justice for elder abuse around the world and in West Virginia.

You can report elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation in West Virginia by calling our state's Adult Protective Services hotline at 1-800-352-6513.

Anyone may join this free webinar today from 1p to 3p EDT to learn about elder abuse and COVID-19. 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-world-elder-abuse-awareness-day-aging-in-the-covid-19-world-registration-91912862847

Make your vote count! Important info about your absentee ballot.

West Virginians, we have an election tomorrow. It's a primary election for many offices, but it's the final election for non-partisan offices like judges at all levels. 

If you applied for an absentee ballot in order for your vote to count you must either: bring your completed ballot in person to your county clerk today, mail your ballot with postmark by tomorrow, or vote in person tomorrow at your polling place. 

But if you received an absentee ballot upon your request but never sent it in and prefer to vote in person at your polling place you should BRING THE ABSENTEE BALLOT WITH YOU to the polling place. You can still vote if you haven't already turned in your absentee ballot and you don't bring in the blank one to be destroyed at the polling place, however, you will have to vote a provisional ballot. That means your vote will not be counted on election night, it will be sent to the Board of Canvassers for further on a case-by-case basis. 

It is fraud a crime to vote twice, so if you voted by absentee ballot it is not legal for you to vote again in person at your polling place.