COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS- Beware of Scammers

Scammers try to take advantage of current disasters and events in the news to get your identity or your money. They may play on your sympathy to give a donation to a charity (which is a fake set up by the scammer). Or they may take advantage of the potential of a worldwide virus to play on your fear.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers about scammers trying to take advantage of the steady stream of news about the coronavirus and the potential fear that the news might generate. The FTC warns that scammers are setting up websites to sell bogus products that claim to cure or prevent the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The FTC expects that scammers will use emails, texts, and social media to promote their fake cures and web sites. The emails, texts, and posts may use the guise of promoting awareness and prevention tips and may provide fake information about cases in your neighborhood. The emails may also ask for donations, offer advice, or contain malicious email attachments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that there is currently no vaccine for the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Scientists worldwide are working on a vaccine, but the current outbreak will probably run its course before drug companies can get it into common usage.

The FTC recommends that you take the following measures to prevent yourself from being scammed,

·         Do not click on links from sources that you are not familiar with.

·         Watch out for emails claiming to be from the CDC or that claim to be from “experts” who have vital information about the virus.

·         Ignore online offers for vaccines or ads promoting prevention, treatment, or cure claims. These ads may claim a “medical breakthrough” that is being exclusively offered to you. Before taking up an offer, check with the CDC or the World Health Organization (WHO) about latest developments on a vaccine.

·         If considering donating to a charity related to the coronavirus find out if the charity is registered with the Washington State Secretary of State. Do not consider a donation if someone wants only cash, gift cards or wiring of money.

·         Be skeptical of “investment opportunities” related to the coronavirus. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is warning consumers about scammers who are claiming that products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect, or cure coronavirus and that the stocks of these companies will increase in value as a result.

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/02/coronavirus-scammers-follow-headlines

Here is a reminder on how to avoid phishing scams from the FTC:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams



CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2Fabout%2Fprevention.html



WHO:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019



To look find out if a charity is registered with the State of Washington go to,

Washington State Secretary of State:

https://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/



SEC:

https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-and-bulletins/ia_coronavirus

PICKING POCKETS- Something We Don’t Think About

Pickpocketing in the Puget Sound region does not receive a lot of attention. We often hear talk about car prowls, burglaries, and scams. However, according to the NBC affiliate, KGW, in Portland, OR, there are theft rings, largely based out of Chile, that have been targeting Panera restaurants since at least 2012. Often working in two’s and threes, the thieves will reach into purses, pull out the wallets in them, then take out the bank cards, and leave the restaurants. The thieves go to a nearby big box store, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, etc., to take out thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards or merchandise.

Why Panera seems a mystery. After all this crime could occur at many fast food restaurants such as Chipotle, MOD Pizza, Starbucks, etc. Police theorize that three elements may make Panera attractive:

Location- Aaron Snell of the Everett Police Department points out that Panera restaurants are often located in shopping areas where a pickpocket can make a quick purchase.

Layout- Panera restaurants have an open seating layout allowing customers to move freely and choose where to sit. The thieves can easily and quickly survey the room then sit at a table directly behind their target. At lunch Panera’s tend to be crowded making it easier to blend into the crowd. Check out the videos at the link below to see some of these pickpockets in action.

Customers- Panera customers tend to be more affluent making them attractive targets.

Catching the pickpockets is difficult for police. The teams of thieves will work an area for a short time, then move on. That includes starting out at one end of the U.S. then migrating to other parts of the country. And if they are from out of country, local police will not have them in a database to identify who they are when they look at security video.

Restaurants are not the only locations for pickpockets. Grocery stores are fertile fields with purses left unattended in grocery carts.

What to do? Before you vow not to go into a Panera again, there are things police say that you can do to protect your wallet and your credit cards:

·         Keep your purse visible, such as around the center of the table.

·         Close your purse or wallet. If they have zippers, close them.

·         Do not hang your purse over a chair.

·         Setup fraud alerts and notifications on your credit cards.

KGW TV:

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/international-multi-state-theft-rings-target-lunch-crowd-at-panera-bread-restaurants-pickpocket-purses-steal-credit-cards-and-buy-gift-cards/283-55dfeecd-6a7d-4e57-a54f-2b2e6a8c54d0

SOCIAL SECURITY SCAM- It Can Happen to Anyone

The proliferation of scams has received a lot of publicity in recent years, so much so that most of us are familiar with the routine. Someone calls your number and threatens you with arrest because you “missed jury duty,” or you owe income tax, interest and penalties. To get out of trouble you need to pay immediately by going to your local store to purchase gift cards and then give the scammer their numbers. In the latest scam, fraudsters impersonate personnel from the Social Security Administration claiming that your Social Security Number has been used in some sort of criminal activity and that to clear things up you need to send them some money.

With the knowledge that scammers are doing this to people, you would think that it would be easy to hang up the phone and avoid becoming victimized. However, the link below from CBS News demonstrates that anyone can be victimized.  

Scammers want to scare you enough that you do not think rationally and become amenable to being manipulated. Take a look at the video or read the transcript of this news item,

CBS News:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-scam-calls-department-of-justice-cracking-down-on-robocalls/



Here is a recent press release from the Social Security Administration about the latest twist in the Social Security scam,



Social Security Administration:

https://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/news-releases/january8-advisory



If you are victimized in the Social Security scam, the Social Security Administration says don’t be embarrassed, report the incident to,

https://oig.ssa.gov/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Sextortion

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a 22-year-old Everett man for child pornography, cyberstalking and bomb threats. According to a Sheriff’s Office press release, “The suspect used the social media app, Snapchat, to communicate with young children locally and in the state of Iowa. He groomed and manipulated multiple child victims to send him sexually explicit photos and videos.”

This is sextortion, where an adult contacts a child online to convince them to send sexual pictures.

For more information about the recent arrest go to,

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=6323



For more information about sextortion and how to prevent it go to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s latest issue of its crime prevention newsletter,

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/6325