Interior Health warns of monkeypox 'scam' calls | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  8.8°C

Kamloops News

Interior Health warns of monkeypox 'scam' calls

Interior Health is warning the public that robocalls claiming an exposure to monkeypox are, in fact, not from the health authority.

The automated calls claim to be from the health authority and warn the recipient they've been exposed to the virus, according to Interior Health.

Interior Health called the automated phone calls a scam, adding a nurse would call anyone exposed to the virus directly.

So far, the automated callers aren't seeking personal information from people nor providing a means to call back, according to an Interior Health spokesperson.

There have been three reports of the potential scam calls in the Interior Health region, but they aren't limited to just that region, the spokesperson said in an emailed response.

The first confirmed monkeypox case found in the Interior Health region was in June, but few have been reported since.

As of Oct. 11, six monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the health region with 173 across the province.

B.C. health authorities have administered more than 3,300 monkeypox virus tests and provided more than 19,000 vaccine doses. Only 372 of those vaccines were administered in the Interior Health region.

— This story was updated at 11:39 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, with a slight update from an Interior Health spokesperson.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022
iNFOnews

  • Popular penticton News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile