Unfortunately, with a global crisis like we are now experiencing, there are those among us who use this type of situation to try to take advantage of the rest of us. We want to make sure our members are aware of the types of scams that have already been tried in other locations. For example, we know there have already been residents in the area approached about buying fake coronavirus tests. The Federal Trade Commission offers the following general advice to all of us on being vigilant about potential scams:
• Don't click on links from sources you don't know. They could download viruses onto your computer or device.
• Watch for emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or experts saying they have information about the virus. For the most up-to-date information about the Coronavirus, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Ignore online offers for vaccinations. There currently are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges or other prescription or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) -- online or in stores.
• Do your homework when it comes to donations, whether through charities or crowd-funding sites. Don't let anyone rush you into donating on the spot. If someone wants donations in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money, don't do it. Here's a list of some specific coronavirus scams as reported by Forbes, the business magazine:
• Beware of text messages promising free iPhones due to the coronavirus, asking for you to click a link. Do not click on any links on any texts unless you are certain you know the sender of the text.
• As reported by Forbes magazine, a supposed Lybia-based malware spread to Android phones via text promises to share data and stats about the coronavirus but instead watches you through your smartphone camera, listens using its microphone or parses through text messages.
• There are also text messages going out promoting payday loans of $5,000, alerts for breaking news and links to a fake Fox News site promoting a coronavirus-curing CBD oil and offers to sign up and buy, though it's unclear if consumers would actually even receive the oil.
• Controversial televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who has been criticized for his lavish lifestyle whilst soliciting donations for his Kenneth Copeland Ministries, claimed to have "healed" viewers of the coronavirus through television screens last week.
• Last week, the FTC and FDA jointly called out seven companies for peddling products that purported to help or cure people afflicted with the coronavirus: The Jim Bakker Show, Herbal Amy Inc., N-Ergetics, Vital Silver, Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd., GuruNanda LLC and Vivify Holistic Clinic.
• Selling unapproved "Coronavirus Protocol" products like a Coronavirus Boneset Tea and Coronavirus Core Tincture, Herbal Amy owner Amy Weidner told Forbes that she removed a quote from an ad following the warning because, "The FDA does not want me to quote anyone saying anything in the product description that would insinuate that it treats, mitigates or cures any diseases."
• Amazon has removed over 1 million products claiming to treat the virus by the end of February, but as the FTC warns, "There currently are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges or other prescription or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19)--online or in stores."
• As reported by Forbes, a slew of coronavirus-based domain names has been registered that could be used to infect users with malware -- addresses like coronavirus-map[.]com, coronavirus[.]app and vaccine-coronavirus[.]com.
• In particular, there have been a number of scams involving coronavirus maps that mimic the legitimate Johns Hopkins resource, with the program's designer Esri commenting on the confusion saying, "Whomever posted the malicious downloadable app is attempting to take advantage of the strong public interest concerning the coronavirus, but it requires the user to either download the app executable or it could be distributed by email for the user to then install onto their local Windows system."
• Additionally, users should be mindful of phishing emails that disguise themselves as coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, with the latter noting that WHO emails are addressed ".int" and that "WHO does not send email from addresses ending in '@who[.]com' ,'@who[.]org' or '@who-safety[.]org'." The best advice in these trying times is to only communicate with the people you know the best. If any strangers approach your home or you receive emails, texts, phone calls or voicemails from anyone you do not know, take no action other than to delete, hang-up or erase the communication. Then report it to the local authorities.
Community on 04/01/2020