Scam Alert: Fake Vaccine Appointment Emails Are Making the Rounds

Never to let a good catastrophe go to waste, scammers are still at it. With news reports of infection rates rising, be on the lookout for scammers looking to make the most of the situation.

For instance, I received this email today about making an appointment to get "the" vaccine. That's an issue because there's more than one, but I digress. Here are the things that really caught my attention.

First, I've been eligible to get the full vaccine for quite some time now. Most adults have. This isn't anything new. Saying that I am now eligible when I have been for a while seems odd. Also, I've already had both doses so there's no way that I would have signed up for any kind of notification.

Second, this didn't come from any official domain. The domain is listed as "appointment-confirmation.com." The email came from an "Appointment Scheduler," which doesn't sound like a real job title at all. Honestly, it sounds like something an 8-year-old would make up for career day.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Johnny?"
"I want to be an Appointment Scheduler!"

Seriously, try and imagine "Appointment Scheduler" on a business card. Looks goofy, right?

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Third, at no time is there a company name given regarding who is sending out these emails. If any one can look at this email and tell me what company it came from, you'll win a hearty pat on the back.

I would expect to see one of the many places where you can get the vaccine listed, or a company name attached to that phenomenal job title "Appointment Scheduler."

Fourth, the email says to let them know if I have any questions, but it came from a noreply address. You can't reply to a noreply email. No one is on the other end. This "Appointment Scheduler" failed to leave any contact info.

I didn't have to take it further, but I did. I decided to see where the link leads. You can do this without clicking on it by just letting the pointer hover on the link. It will usually show the address the link will take you to in the bottom left corner of your screen.

Friends and neighbors, as you might have guessed the link would have taken me to a dangerous site.

More than likely there is a form on the other side of the link. If I had filled out that form, I would have given scammers loads of personal information, and I would be dreading a non-existent appointment to get poked.

Be on the lookout for emails like these in the coming days. Scammers will never let a good disaster go to waste.