Scammers thrive on misinformation and deception. They prey upon fears and use positive emotions, like trust, to their benefit. All of the information swirling around the internet regarding COVID-19 has created an opportunity for scammers to take advantage.

Protecting from fraud is always a priority, but as people and businesses are seeking aid in order to stay afloat, the risk of fraud is at an all-time high.

Take some extra steps of precaution during this time to ensure you or members of your family don’t fall victim to fraud.

Stay Calm and Patient

During this time of uncertainty, our emotional and mental health can be strung out to their limits. Worrying about the future, there is temptation to rush to get everything taken care of.

Scammers will rely on this panic to get what they want. Even though there are different kinds of fraud out there, many of them rely on one thing to be successful: That you won’t take the time to verify the validity of what the scammer is offering.

Take some time to independently verify and research the identity of the company, charity, or individual that contacts you. Beware of websites and email addresses that have slight differences to the organizations they claim to be representing.

Known COVID-19 Scams

Here are some common scams that you may encounter during this time:

• Government Aid scams: Beware anyone calling or emailing asking for your account information in order for you to receive a stimulus check. According to the IRS, “The vast majority of people do not need to take any action” in order to receive economic impact payments. For more on the specifics of how these funds will be distributed, visit the IRS website here:
  https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know
• Treatment scams: Offers of medical advice, services, or treatments on COVID-19.
• Supply scams: Fake websites and sellers of supplies that are in high demand.
• Provider scams: Scammers may pose as doctors or hospital representatives and claim payment for treatment of a loved one or friend for COVID-19.
• Charity scams: Helping others is noble, but beware solicitations from those claiming to represent a charity.
• Phishing scams: Scammers may pretend to be representatives of important organizations offering knowledge, treatment information, etc.
• App scams: Fake apps may be created to help track the spread of COVID-19, but these may include malware or may gain access to your information unwillingly.
• Investment scams: Scammers may promote or offer stock in publicly traded companies that are producing services related to COVID-19, claiming these stocks will dramatically increase.

To learn more about Coronavirus scams and what you can do to avoid them, please visit the FTC coronavirus page here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing