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.

KAMLOOPS – WARNING – Automated call scam impersonating IH.
The call claims you have been exposed to monkeypox. Please disregard. IH does doesn't use automated calls to notify people about exposure to an infectious disease, an IH nurse will call you directly.

— Interior Health (@Interior_Health) October 18, 2022

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

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