COVID-19 scams to look out for
During these tough times a lot of people are taking advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak to scam people, please be mindful and consider some of these tips
- Do not open attachments or click on links from senders you do not recognize;
- Verify the information being shared actually originates from a legitimate source;
- Do not share your logins, banking information or other personal information in response to an email;
- Only visit websites that you have manually typed their domains into your browser.
Here are some examples of coronavirus and COVID-19 scams:
Phishing scams: Scammers posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sending phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
Government relief check scams: Scammers send you a message make a social media post claiming you qualify for a COVID-19 government grant and just need to click a link to fill out the “necessary” personal information. In the process, your identifying information is stolen
Robocall scams: Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from scam Coronavirus treatments to work-at-home schemes. Don’t press any numbers. The recording might say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list, but it might lead to more robocalls, instead.
**If you believe you are a victim of an internet scam or want to report suspicious activity, visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.**
