The County Public Health Department identified new challenges Wednesday admist the COVID-19 pandemic regarding contact tracing scam calls.
Dr. Penny Borenstein says the calls are impacting the county's ability to accurately track those who may have been infected with the disease.
"If you do test positive, engage with us so that we can get information from you that will help us better understand the source of transmission," she said.
The Public Health Department said community members have reported phone calls claiming to be from the County Health Services, informing individuals they have tested positive for COVID-19.
This scam has caused false rumors for many health departments, the County Public Health Department said on Facebook, and has been a factor of many incorrectly counted cases.
If you receive a call from a contact tracer, personal information such as social security numbers and immigration statuses will not be asked.
Dr. Borenstein encourages those who do receive a legitimate call from a contact tracer to take action and to pick up.
The County Public Health Department says the call will begin with area code 805 and the digits following with be either 788 or 781.
