Concerned the site was a scam, Mr Zheng later cancelled his Medicare card and his appointment.
“If the site was legitimate it seems like it could have been designed in a better way.”
Lisa Williams, 39, also booked using a link that friends had shared on Twitter.
“I found the link on Twitter and booked an appointment at a clinic in Randwick,” she said. “I was told the clinic was offering Pfizer bookings for people aged 16 to 59. I think there’s a bit of frustration going on, especially for people under 40 about how to book an appointment.
“It just seems to me like people under 40 are kind of being forced to look for alternate ways to try and get vaccines.”
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An ACCC spokesperson told the Herald that consumers should remain “vigilant to the possibility of scams, and to avoid clicking on links or responding to suspicious looking emails, calls or text messages”.
Scams related to COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia, and overseas, include fake offers of early access to vaccines in return for payment, offers to mail vaccines, fake vaccine investment opportunities and bogus vaccine-related surveys offering prizes or early access.
Types of COVID-19 vaccination scams reported to the ACCC this year includes phishing emails or phone calls (24), survey or research scams (10) and vaccine investment scams (10) – in addition to the complaints about legitimate communications.
“To verify the legitimacy of a call, text or email, find the organisation’s contact details through an independent source such as a phone book or online search,” the ACCC spokesperson said.
“You can also ask for the name and contact number of the caller and make an independent check with the organisation before calling back.”
Jacqueline Jayne, a security specialist at cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, said COVID-19 vaccination scams would remain a threat for some time.
“COVID is not going anywhere and the scams will continue – wherever there is an opportunity the cyber criminals will be in,” she said.
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