A hacker diverted elderly people calling into a Pennsylvania COVID-19 hotline away from scheduling vaccination appointments

• A COVID-19 hotline set up to field calls from elderly people was hacked, according to Pennsylvania officials.
• Elderly people were trying to use a 211 hotline to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations.
• But when they called the hotline, scammers asked them for their credit card information.

A hacker took control of a Pennsylvania hotline meant to assist elderly people with scheduling coronavirus vaccination appointments.

County officials from the Allegheny County Health Department said in a news release on Thursday that shortly after its 211 hotline went live, it had been temporarily compromised.

The hotline was set up as a way to serve people aged 65 and older who couldn't schedule an appointment online on their own. Operators were set to "provide phone support for scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments" and "answer questions about the vaccines," according to the news release from the health department.

Some of these senior citizens did not have access to the internet and could not use the online system to make an appointment, the release says. Others were unable to navigate the website.

But while calling into the hotline, some senior citizens were met with scammers asking for their credit card information, according to KDKA, a CNN affiliate.

"The Health Department and 2-1-1 learned that a hacker had intercepted calls at the carrier level," the release says. "These calls never made it to 2-1-1 and callers were not informed that they were not talking with that center. While 2-1-1 is continuing to work with its telephone partners to investigate this, we do not know which carrier was involved or how many callers this impacted. The problem was quickly identified and resolved."

The release says a 2-1-1 operator would never "ask for personal financial information like credit card numbers or ask for a person to purchase or send a gift card before being able to make an appointment."

"If available, callers should be prepared to provide an email address or cellphone number where they can receive a reminder to schedule the second dose in the vaccine series. An email address or cellphone number is not required," the release reads. "For those without an email or cellphone, instructions will be provided on when to contact 2-1-1 to schedule their second dose appointment."

County officials urge anyone who may have provided financial information over the phone to a hacker to contact the FBI.