How To Tell A Real COVID-19 Contact Tracer's Call From A Scammer's

State officials and federal agencies warn there's a new phone scam circulating: Some callers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers are trying to pry credit card or bank account information from unsuspecting victims.

The grifters apparently are taking advantage of a genuine public health intervention that is crucial to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus: contact tracing.

In one scam, detailed in a warning from the Montana attorney general, fraudsters are telling their victims, " 'I'm calling from your local health department to let you know that you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.' " Then they move in for the kill, asking for payment information "before we continue."