Unfortunately, fraud reports have spiked due to uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and scammers exploiting the crisis to find new ways to cash in at the expense of residents. Rebecca Havely offers these examples from the Federal Trade Commission of common frauds and tips on how to recognize them to avoid being scammed…
To avoid being scammed, learn how to tell the difference between a real contact tracer and a scammer. Legitimate tracers need health information, not money or personal financial information.
Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government.
Ignore offers for vaccinations and home test kits. Scammers are selling products to treat or prevent COVID-19 without proof that they work.
Be wary of ads for test kits. Most test kits being advertised have not been approved by the FDA, and aren’t necessarily accurate.
Hang up on robocalls.
Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes.
Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And don’t click on links from sources you don’t know.
Do your homework when it comes to donations. Never donate in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money.
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/06/help-covid-19-contact-tracers-not-scammers
www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/04/coronavirus-stimulus-payment-scams-what-you-need-know
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0259-robocalls#legal
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
