Citizens Urged to Respond to Legit Contact Tracers But Be Aware of Scammers, Says DHEC

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is encouraging all South Carolinians to respond to legitimate contact tracing calls and emails from public health officials, while remaining vigilant against scams. DHEC has been conducting contact tracing for COVID-19 cases since the first reports in the state. Notifying people about a possible exposure is critical to stopping the spread of the COVID-19 because the virus can be transmitted without causing symptoms. Contact tracing includes two components: case investigations and contact monitoring. Currently, DHEC has more than 700 individuals trained to perform case investigations across the state, supplemented by 230 active contact monitors. A total of 600 contact monitors have been trained to date and will be deployed as needed. If you test positive for COVID-19, a contact tracer from DHEC will call you. Contact tracing participation is voluntary and confidential. A legitimate contact tracer will never threaten consequences for not participating or answering questions. Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced the establishment of the South Carolina COVID Strike Team. The team is charged with investigating and prosecuting COVID-19 related scams, hoarding, and price gouging activities. Members of the public can report suspected fraud schemes and price gouging related to Coronavirus to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) via their hotline (1-866-720-5721) or e-mail address ([email protected]).