Types Of COVID-19 Scams to Watch Out For
I found this interesting list online at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau site and thought I would share with you all!
Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to con people into giving up their money. During this time of uncertainty, knowing about possible scams is a good first step toward preventing them.
Here are a few scams you should be looking out for:
1. COVID-19 vaccine scams
As the vaccine is rolled out, it’s important to be on the lookout for scams. Beware of scams offering early access to vaccines for a fee. Don’t share your personal or financial information if someone calls, texts, or emails you promising to get you the vaccine for a fee. Also, keep in mind that Medicare covers the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine.
2. COVID-19 cure, air filters, and testing scams
The FTC warned about an increasing number of scams related to test kits, cures or treatments, and air filter systems designed to remove COVID-19 from the air in your home. If you receive a phone call, email, text message, or letter with claims to sell you any of these items–it’s a scam.
3. Fake coronavirus-related charity scams
A charity scam is when a thief poses as a real charity or makes up the name of a charity that sounds real to get money from you. Be careful about any charity calling you asking for donations. And be wary if you get a call following up on a donation pledge that you don’t remember making–it could be a scam.
4. Unemployment benefits scams
Finally, Scammers are fraudulently filing unemployment claims using stolen personal identity information. If you receive a 1099-G tax form for unemployment benefits that you didn’t claim or receive, you may be a victim of identity theft. Someone may have used your personal information to receive unemployment benefits without your knowledge.
Tags: 1099-G, benefit, COVID-19, credit report, disaster, emergency, identity theft, pandemic, scam, stolen identity, unemployment
