LA City Attorney Warns Residents Of COVID-19 Vaccine Scams

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — City Attorney Mike Feuer Wednesday warned Los Angeles residents to beware of COVID-19 vaccine scams.

Feuer said although the first COVID-19 vaccines are being administered by Pfizer, they are not yet available to all.

People should beware of texts or calls or house visits from people claiming they have a vaccine or can give people early access to an inoculation, he said.

"While this is terrific news, the vaccine won't be available on a widespread basis until spring or early summer," Feuer said. "In the meantime, that means there will be a wait, and that wait is surely an opportunity for scammers to try to sell you fake vaccines that are ineffective at best and dangerous at worst."

Feuer also advised people to contact their elderly family members with the information, as they can be the most vulnerable to being scammed.

"The (Food and Drug Administration's) approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is certainly a promise of light at the end of the tunnel, but it'll take some time to roll it out, so be patient and don't give away your hard-earned money or your personal information for a fake vaccine that can't help you, but could hurt you," Feuer said.

People should report attempts of selling fake COVID-19 vaccines to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov or at lacityattorney.org.