LEWISTOWN – Geisinger is alerting patients to recent reports of scammers trying to steal personal data by posing as COVID vaccine schedulers.

The suspected fraudulent activity involves automated calls and/or text messages or live callers reaching out to Geisinger patients under the guise of scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine. The scammers are asking patients for their name, date of birth and Social Security number in order to schedule a vaccine appointment.

Geisinger said it will never ask for a Social Security number, and if someone asks for it, it is a scam. Anyone receiving such a call should hang up or not respond.

For more information about this scam and to learn about ways to protect personal information, visit geisinger.org/security. The web page provides information about the latest security alerts from Geisinger and includes more information about phone spoofing scams, ways to help protect yourself against becoming a scam victim and how to contact Geisinger if you have an information security concern related to Geisinger.

“As a reminder, never give out personal information, such as your Social Security number or medical record number, over the telephone — and do not rely on caller ID to be accurate,” Geisinger said in a press release. “If you receive a call that is unexpected, suspicious or about which you have any doubts, you should hang up and call Geisinger directly at 800-275-6401 or check your myGeisinger account for messages.”