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Coronavirus (COVID-19)Telephone Scams and More<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When times are tough and people are afraid, one thing you can count on is that miscreants will be out looking for easy money by taking advantage of uncertainty and fear. The current coronavirus pandemic has become a virtual gold mine for scammers who prey on the innocent and trusting.<\/span><\/p>\n Our mission is to keep you safe. And as we have always said the best thing you can do to stay safe and avoid falling for scams is to use your common sense and stay informed. In the interest of keeping you informed, we are posting a few phone scams complete with audio and transcripts, so should you get one of these calls, you won’t be a victim.<\/span><\/p>\n (If you want to skip directly to the sample recordings of phone scams click here<\/a>.)<\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n According to the FCC…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact the United States, phone scammers have seized the opportunity to prey on consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n The FCC has received reports of scam and hoax text message campaigns and scam robocalls offering free home testing kits, promoting bogus cures,\u00a0selling health insurance,<\/a>\u00a0and preying on virus-related fears.<\/span><\/p>\n A text message scam may falsely advertise a cure or an offer to be tested for coronavirus. Do not click on links in texts related to the virus, and check\u00a0cdc.gov\/coronavirus<\/a>\u00a0for the most current information.<\/span><\/p>\n Text message hoaxes may claim that the government will order a mandatory national two-week quarantine, or instruct you to go out and stock up on supplies. The messages can appear to be from a “next door neighbor.” The National Security Council\u00a0tweeted that these are fake<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n A text message scam impersonating the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informs recipients that they must take a “mandatory online COVID-19 test” with a link, warns the\u00a0BBB<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Scammers are also using robocalls to target consumers during this national emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, the\u00a0World Health Organization<\/a>\u00a0recently issued a warning about criminals seeking to take advantage of the pandemic to steal money or sensitive personal information from consumers. It urges people to be wary of phone calls and text messages that purport to be from the WHO, or charity organizations, asking for account information or for money.<\/span><\/p>\n The FCC has received reports of robocalls purporting to offer free virus test kits, in an effort to collect consumers’ personal and health insurance information. One\u00a0pernicious version of this scam<\/a>\u00a0is targeting higher risk individuals with diabetes, offering a free COVID-19 testing kit along with a free diabetic monitor. Other robocalls are marketing fake cures and asking for payment over the phone.<\/span><\/p>\n If you think you’ve been a victim of a coronavirus scam, contact law enforcement immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n The FCC offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from scams, including coronavirus scams:<\/span><\/p>\n For more information about scam calls and texts, visit the\u00a0FCC Consumer Help Center<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0FCC Scam Glossary<\/a>. You can also file a complaint about such scams at\u00a0fcc.gov\/complaints<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a>Forewarned is forearmed… so here’s to keeping you safe…<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Test Kit Phone Scam<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n