COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility and Vaccine-Related Scams

For the latest information on vaccine eligibility in New York, please visit New York State COVID-19 Updates. Individuals age 12 and up are eligible of the vaccine.

To obtain a vaccine, you can schedule an appointment or walk into certain locations and providers. Please contact your provider of choice or use the State’s online tool or call the COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 833-697-4829 (7 am - 10 pm, 7 days a week) to find a location to get a vaccine near you.

For all up-to-date information pertaining to COVID-19 vaccine approval and distribution in New York, please visit the New York State Department of Health. Individuals may also contact the New York State COVID-19 Hotline at 888-364-3065 for all COVID-19 related questions.

The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) continues to warn New Yorkers of COVID-19 vaccine scams. Scammers may impersonate public health officials from organizations such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). They may also offer to ship a COVID-19 vaccine directly to homes, provide special access to vaccines or clinical trials, or sell special cold storage device for vaccines.

Consumers are also warned to beware of phony vaccine cards sold on social media platforms or other areas of the Internet. Vaccine cards typically record the date a vaccine is administered, the vaccine manufacturer, and the batch number, and are provided by the vaccination site for a consumer’s own records. The target market for these phony cards may be people who want to avoid the vaccine or who mistakenly believe the card is required to travel or for some other purpose. Phony vaccine cards pose a public health risk and should NOT be purchased for any reason. The information consumers provide may also be used for identity theft.

Here are some tips to help New Yorkers avoid vaccine-related scams:

• Be wary of anyone calling or emailing you with offers of a vaccine and do not give out your Social Security number, personal credit card, or bank account information. No one from a vaccine distributor, health care company, or private insurance company will ask for this information.
• No New Yorker should be charged any amount out of pocket – regardless of whether they have insurance or not – while the pandemic remains a public health emergency.
• You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine or to get into a vaccine clinical trial.
• If you get an e-mail about a COVID-19 vaccine or clinical trial, check the sender’s email domain to make sure it matches the website of the organization sending the e-mail and be wary of clicking on any hyperlinks or providing any login or other personal information.

If a consumer believes they have been the victim of a COVID-19 vaccine scam or any unlawful activity, they can report these incidents to the OAG.