Unauthorized COVID-19 testing in Fairview Heights raises concerns about possible scam
An unauthorized COVID-19 testing site popped up Friday and again Monday at St. Clair Square mall, raising concerns about possible fraudulent activity.
Illinois operates a legitimate drive-thru site at the St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights mall in the parking lot by the empty Sears store. The unauthorized site, first reported by KMOV, was set up at the Dillard’s entrance on Friday under the name “Crestview Clinical Laboratory.”
It was set up again Monday morning under the name “By the People for the People,” said Fairview Heights Police Department Officer Tim Mueller.
Fairview Heights police told them to leave, and the mall has banned them from their property.
A list of legitimate testing sites in St. Clair County can be found at https://bit.ly/3qQInFw, and the Illinois Department of Public Health has a list at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/testing.html. People may also check with their local pharmacy, health care provider or health department for testing options.
A woman first became suspicious of the operation Friday when she saw its patient form, which asked for a social security number and if the patient was a United States citizen, said St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons.
The legitimate state site asks patients to register through a mobile application called MyChart.
The suspicious woman drove away to examine the form, and when she returned, people were packing up the tent and told her they were “going to lunch,” Simmons said.
“That was another red flag for her,” Simmons said.
Calls to Crestview Clinical Laboratory went directly to voicemail. The address listed on the form is the same as a post office in Encinitas, California. The clinic is included in a list of testing sites authorized by the state of California, but multiple reviews for the clinic on Google warned of a fake COVID test scam through links in text messages.
Mueller said police talked Monday with people running the site. They claimed they run the nonprofit organization and got permission from the mall, which wasn’t true.
Anyone who provided information to the group should consider checking their credit or set up credit monitoring, Mueller said.
Complaints about a site’s protocols, missing results or serious service-related complaints can be directed to the state’s health care complaint line at 1-800-252-4343.
Patients who believe there may be fraud in COVID testing or other criminal activity should contact their local police department and the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, according to an Illinois Department of Health spokeswoman. The division hotline can be reached at 1-800-243-0607.
A St. Clair Square spokeswoman said the testing site “was in no way affiliated with the mall.”
“We have contacted local police and banned this group and the individuals associated with it from the property,” spokeswoman Christine Poehling wrote in an email. “As a reminder, mall vendors will never ask customers to provide sensitive personal information.”
A spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said they were checking on the issue.
The legitimate public site operates 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and provides free testing.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Unauthorized COVID-19 testing in Fairview Heights raises concerns about possible scam."
