Nationwide Law Firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Warns Consumers to Beware of COVID-19 Scams
The COVID-19 crisis has brought out the best of us. Unfortunately, however, it has also brought out some of the worst, too. Examples of the former are not difficult to find front line healthcare workers, first responders, selfless volunteers, essential workers, and millions of others who have decided to step up and lean forward. Examples of the latter are far less obvious, and chief among them are criminals who are behind variety of COVID-19 scams.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), here are some of the more insidious examples that are targeting victims on a daily basis:
Robocall Scams
Robocall scams prey on health and financial fears. There are typically two versions of this ploy: robocalls that try and terrify victims into revealing sensitive information, and robocalls that promise victims will receive financial support from the government — provided, of course, that they reveal sensitive information to facilitate the application or payment process.
What makes robocall scams like this so difficult to stop, is that criminals do not need an army of people making calls all day and all night, commented a spokesperson from the Consumer Protection Litigation Group at nationwide law firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP. The entire process is automated, and even if 99.9 percent of people do not fall for the scam, the volume of calls is so massive that the .1 percent who are victimized makes the effort and expense more than worthwhile. With a single Social Insurance Number or bank account number, criminals can inflict a tremendous amount of financial damage.
Contact Tracing Scams
The coronavirus pandemic has introduced the term “contact tracing” into the mainstream vocabulary — and for good reason. Right now, the largest risk factor that is driving infections is community spread (i.e. an individual infected with the virus has close and extended contact with several other people who then become infected). Contact tracing is an attempt to notify potentially infected individuals, and direct them to immediately self-isolate, monitor their symptoms, and possibly get tested. Unfortunately, criminals are seizing on this practice by falsely informing people that they may have been exposed to the virus, in order to collect confidential and sensitive information.
Anyone who suspects that a call, email or text regarding contact tracing may be suspicious should not ignore their instincts. Instead, they should feel empowered to verify the information. If the other party becomes hostile, then that is a red flag that something untoward is going on.
Vaccination Scams
Understandably, people throughout the U.S. and around the world are urgently awaiting a vaccination or treatment for COVID-19. The good news is that medical researchers across the globe are relentlessly pursuing this goal, and there are some positive signs that progress is being made. The bad news is that criminals are exploiting peoples’ anxieties by purporting to offer vaccinations, treatments or “alternative cures. Obviously, these are fake — however, by the time unsuspecting victims realize what is going on, it is too late: their identities are stolen, their credit cards are fraudulently used, and their bank accounts are drained.
It is distressing to see just how much false information on the web regarding so-called COVID-19 cures and treatments,” commented a spokesperson from firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP. These scams can do more than cost victims their life savings. It can also severely jeopardize their health, and the health of the family. For example, if they think that they are going to receive some revolutionary vaccine in the mail, then they may be less inclined to diligently practice social distancing, or they may not pay close attention to potential symptoms.
While the scams highlighted by Faruqi Law are truly sinister and utterly shameless, there are ways that people can protect themselves.
Steps you can take to protect your personal information
People should refuse to respond to calls or text from people they do not know, or from names or numbers that look suspicious and should also never share their financial or personal information through email, text or phone. Government agencies and banks will never call to ask for money or other personal information. It is also wise to avoid clicking links in emails or text messages, as these may lead to fake websites that ask victims to enter their personal information such as their Social Security Number. And if anyone thinks that they might have fallen victim to a COVID-19 scam, then they should contact law enforcement without delay.
