DILG warns public against scam to buy testing kits

July 30, 2020

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday warned the public against con men taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis and introducing themselves as alleged members of contact tracing teams to fool people into paying for test kits.

Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya made the warning as unscrupulous individuals are sending text messages or making calls telling people  they have been identified as close contacts of an alleged COVID-19 patient and they need to shell out money for a testing kit.

Malaya said legitimate contact tracing teams will never ask for money since they track down and manage close contacts, reduce spread of infection, and offer diagnostic, counseling and treatment to confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“We ask the public to be vigilant. Let’s not easily trust those who are calling or texting asking for money. If there is money involved, that is a scam. We are in a public health emergency and unfortunately there are still opportunists who are taking advantage of the crisis so let’s be careful,” he added.

Malaya said reports from DILG Region III (Central Luzon) show certain individuals pretending to be members of a contact tracing team were calling households telling them they were identified as close contacts of a person who tested positive with COVID-19.

Malaya reminded the public that contact tracers will not give information about persons who test positive for COVID-19.

He said despite the limited information, the scammer will insist on having the victim tested within the next 72 hours and will ask for their address

“Once they call a residence, they will advise the person to self-isolate and to be tested within 72 hours. Of course, the victim will agree to undergo testing,” said Malaya.

Malaya said after getting the victim’s address, scammers will ask for their credit card number or other financial details saying  test kits cost $50 each.

“That’s the catch, once they get the address of the victim, they will ask for payment and will say that the test kit is not for free. I reiterate, contact tracing teams are not asking for money. That is not their job,” he added.

Malaya said once the victim rejects buying test kits, the scammers will threaten them with penalties for not undergoing tests.

In case of such incidents, Malaya advised the public to report these to the nearest police station.

“We are currently beefing up our contact tracing capabilities nationwide to serve more Filipinos for free that’s why we encourage everyone to report this kind of modus to the authorities,” Malaya said.

The DILG recently said more than 69,000 contact tracers are deployed nationwide with a possibility of adding 50,000 more in the next few weeks. Ella Dionisio/DMS