The Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is warning older adults to be aware of a new COVID-19 vaccine e-mail scam.

A press release says a suspicious e-mail asks people to complete a survey and receive a free reward in exchange for a nominal fee “to cover shipping.”

Survey scams such as these are a creative way to steal a consumer’s identity or money. Many survey scams offer a reward and give folks a limited time to respond if they want to take the survey. A legitimate survey will not assign a time limit, nor will it ask for a credit card or bank account to pay for a reward.

Scammers know people have received vaccines and are capitalizing on it. The SMP advises consumers not to give out personal or financial information. Fake surveys can be used to steal personal information; collect data about someone to commit identity theft; or to install malware on a computer when the user clicks on a link in the e-mail.

Anyone who has responded to this or a similar vaccine survey e-mail should call the Missouri SMP at (888) 515-6565.