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Attorney General Frosh Warns
Consumers of Unlicensed, Illegal Pop-Up COVID-19 Testing Sites Outside of
Local Stores and Shopping Centers BALTIMORE, MD (December 21, 2020) – The Maryland
Office of the Attorney General has been alerted to illegal, unlicensed pop-up
COVID-19 testing sites operating in Baltimore City. Individuals are
setting up “Free COVID-19 Testing” tables at random locations, including
outside shopping centers and retail stores, and along the side of the
road. These testing sites are not authorized and the individuals
operating them are not following CDC guidelines for collecting, handling, and
testing clinical specimens from persons for COVID-19, and they could be
placing consumers at risk. Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is encouraging
consumers to visit covidtest.maryland.gov for a list of more than 240
approved COVID-19 testing sites in Maryland. “Consumers
in need of a COVID-19 test should have it performed at an approved testing
site,” said Attorney General Frosh. “Providing personal information,
such as Social Security Numbers, to individuals hosting one of these pop-up
sites not only puts your health at risk, but increases your chances of
becoming a victim of identity theft.” Anyone
who received a COVID-19 test at any of these illegal pop-up testing sites
should get another test from an approved testing site and seek medical
attention if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Unauthorized
pop-up testing sites could be a scheme for identity thieves to harvest
sensitive, personal information from consumers. The Office of Attorney
General is aware that the unauthorized testing sites are taking personal
information, including social security numbers, driver’s license information,
dates of birth, health insurance information, and DNA – all of which can be
used for identity theft. Anyone with questions or concerns about identity
theft can contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Identity Theft Unit at
410-576-6491 or 410-230-1712 (en Español). To
report health scams, contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Health Education
and Advocacy Unit at 410-528-1840 or 410-230-1712 (en Español). |
