COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As Ohio begins its vaccination efforts against COVID-19, officials are warning people to be on the lookout for potential scams.

“I feel so bad for some of the people that get taken in by these things,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.

Yost said his office received 39 complaints of potential coronavirus-related scams since the first week of March when the pandemic began.

He said one of the most common methods is scammers impersonating distributors, providers or local health departments claiming to need personal information such as a social security number in order to get people on a list to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“The vaccine is going to be distributed without charge to you. So, don’t be giving up your credit card,” said Yost.

Other scammers pretend they’re able to help folks jump to the front of the line to get a vaccine but ask for advanced payment to secure their place in line.

“This isn’t Disney World,” Yost said. “There is no way to pay your way to get to the front of the line and you should hang up.”

Anyone who has received one of these calls is asked to immediately contact local law enforcement and the Attorney General’s Office online.

“With these scam artists, they don’t do it once,” said Yost. “Each additional case gives us additional clues, additional data, and helps us close in on them. If we don’t get them today, we’ll get them next week or next month, but we need your help.”

The Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio said it’s also received reports of coronavirus-related scams, including fake testing sites, clinical trial scams, mandatory COVID test scams and contact tracing scams.

That information, and ways to avoid becoming a victim, can be found here.