Beware of COVID-19 Scams
It’s bad enough that we worry about getting the coronavirus, or a loved one getting it; but now we must be leery of COVID-19 scams. Unfortunately, there are scammers out there who won’t think twice about taking advantage of you, even during a pandemic. Here are the scams you need to be aware of:
Vaccination scams – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccine providers can’t charge you a fee for the vaccine (or for the administration of the vaccine) or force a copay on you. They also aren’t allowed to require additional healthcare services or deny anyone without health insurance coverage. If a provider tries telling you any of these things, don’t get your vaccine from them. BONUS TIP: If you have already been vaccinated, don’t post pictures of your vaccination card on social media! Scammers can use these pictures to steal your personal information.
Remote worker scams – With more Americans working from home, hackers are focusing even more of their efforts into impersonating your coworkers. Hackers can create emails that look and even sound like your coworkers; it’s best to call your coworker if you have suspicions.
Funeral expense scams – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering to help pay for funeral and burial expenses if a person died from COVID-19 after Jan. 20, 2020, if certain conditions are met. Scammers are using this to their advantage by impersonating FEMA representatives to gain personal information, such as Social Security Numbers and other forms of identification. FEMA is urging everyone to not disclose any information to anyone in an unsolicited telephone call or email claiming to be from them.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payment scams – During the pandemic, more and more people have turned to P2P mobile payments to give or receive money, typically from somebody they know. Some scammers are using these apps to ask for fake charitable donations. Always check the charity’s website to verify that they accept donations through a P2P mobile payment app before you donate.