New Jersey officials warned that thousands of scams have been reported involving phony coronavirus contact tracers seeking to get information from residents.  Officials warned residents to never give personal information like Social Security numbers and bank information if they are contacted by somebody who claims to be a contact tracer. Tracers don’t need that information.

The warning came as a rash of complaints were made of people receiving text messages saying they came in contact with someone who had COVID-19. The text messages ask people to follow links and then try and obtain private information, officials said.

Contact tracers don’t text people who they believe came in contact with someone with the virus and private information should never be given to them, officials said.  A legitimate contact tracing effort usually includes a call to educate people and tell them if they are at risk and what they should be on the lookout for, officials said.