The coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented with wide-reaching effects that are quickly changing the landscape of our lives across the globe. At Panter, Panter & Sampedro, we are dedicated to advocating for our community’s safety. Right now, there are a lot of new variables being introduced into our lives that are impacting our wellbeing. Among them, are the vast number of scams that are emerging as malicious attempts to take advantage of our vulnerability.
Be Aware of These Coronavirus Scams
In order to help you and your loved ones avoid becoming a victim of one of these fraudulent schemes, we have compiled a list of the most common coronavirus scams to be aware of. We invite you to share this list with your family and friends.
- Price Gouging on Safety Products – At the beginning of the ongoing pandemic, consumers might have noticed a price increase on popular safety products such as hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, and toilet paper. The increase of prices due to popularity or prior to a disaster is considered price gouging which is illegal in the state of Florida.
- Virus Cleaning Services – People are offering cleaning services that claim they will rid your home of any potential threat of Coronavirus. This is a false promise as the CDC has said that normal disinfectant should be enough.
- Coronavirus Protection Kit – It is important to be weary of this scam as these kits are being sold via online and by phone. For example, some eBay users are trying to sell these kits online for $199.99.
- Payment Requests from Government Officials – Government officials will not be charging for any additional services or providing stimulus checks via phone, online, or in person. If someone claims they are a government official writing you a check, but in order to do so they need your social security number, it is a scam.
- Cure or Vaccine Offers – Currently, there is no publicly available cure or vaccine to prevent or treat the virus. If you receive an email, phone call, or visit a website claiming to treat the coronavirus, please do not provide any personal information and block or report these links.
- Health Department Phone Calls – Disregard calls from those claiming to be from the health department and saying you might have been infected with the coronavirus. If you have been facing symptoms of COVID-19 or are concerned that you have come in contact with someone with the virus, the best option is to talk to your doctor or seek immediate medical care if your symptoms are severe.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Impersonation – Law enforcement agencies in South Florida have sent out alerts regarding CDC worker impersonations. People have been knocking on other doors claiming to be from the CDC and offering free COVID-19 testing. Please do not let these impersonators inside your home and report them to the police.
- Phishing Emails – You may be receiving an email that claims it is from the CDC or World Health Organization. However, although this email might seem legitimate, once the user clicks on the website their user data might become stolen or compromised. Be sure to check the email address if you receive suspicious emails.
We encourage you to speak to children, elderly, and loved ones about these potential coronavirus scams to help them avoid becoming a victim of one of them. If you believe that have encountered a potential scam, such as price gouging, we recommend reporting it to the Florida Attorney General’s office by calling 1(866)-9-NO-SCAM.
Additionally, we invite you to visit our new Coronavirus Resource Center for up-to-date information from a variety of important resources including the CDC, WHO, Florida State Government, and Miami-Dade Local Government.
In this time of need, we are here for you. Please feel free to call us at (305) 662-6178 or contact us at panterlaw.com. Stay safe!
Resources:
“Avoid Coronavirus Scams” (n.d.) Retrieved on March 25th, 2020 from https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing
“Florida attorney general issues consumer alert about coronavirus-related scams” (27 March, 2020) Retrieved on March 27, 2020 from https://local10.com/news/local/2020/03/27/florida-attorney-general-issues-consumer-alert-about-coronavirus-related-scams/
