Over the course of the last few days the Barton County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Barton County Health Department have become aware of scams involving the COVID-19 virus, Sheriff Brian Bellendir reports.

"Evidently, citizens are being contacted on social media by an unknown group stating they have information that the citizen has been exposed to COVID-19. The email, text or message then states there is a fee associated with further testing. This is not true. In the event you are exposed to COVID-19 you will be contacted by the Barton County Health Department. There is no fee if you are contacted by the health department."

Citizens are advised to delete and not respond to any messages on social media that are requesting a fee for COVID-19 testing.