LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Scammers look to make quick cash by stealing personal information and preying on the public's anxieties and fears about COVID-19.

Their latest ploy involves contact tracing.

“They’re calling people and pretending to be contract tracers in order to extract personal, sensitive information,” said Maya Levine, a security expert with the cybersecurity company Check Point.  

She and others are sounding the alarm.

The company has been tracking a growing number of contract tracing scams worldwide, including many targeting L.A. County residents. Contact tracers notify residents if they have been in close contact with an infected person. Levine said real public health specialists will only ask you for your full name and birthday.

“If you’re being asked anything about your finances, anything about your social security number, that should be a tip off that this is not a legitimate tracer,” Levine said.

But many of the scammers are impersonating legitimate contract tracers. They tell victims they are working to help fight the spread of COVID-19, and then ask for social security numbers, money, financial information, or immigration status.

“So, I think it’s really important to point out what is a legitimate contract tracing phone call and what is a scam, so people don’t just avoid contract tracing all together,” Levine said.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti recently tweeted, asking residents to please pick up when a contract tracer calls you. It will say “LA Public Health” on your phone. The county even started offering gift cards as an incentive for residents to participate.

“Usually when people are anxious or fearful, they don’t think things through as much,” Levine said.

She said scammers often rely on automated systems to make calls for them. That allows them to cast a wider net—targeting as many people as possible.

She also warns against clicking on unknown links in emails and text messages that could lead to fake COVID-19 related websites and put malware on your computer or smartphone.

“It’s always a safer option to Google or search for the legitimate site and try to get to it from there than to click on a link through an email,” Levine said.

She calls them small but significant reminders to stay alert in these unpredictable times.

“Having that extra little degree of paranoia about what you’re clicking on can really save you a world of hurt.”