FEDERAL, STATE PROSECUTORS GUARDING AGAINST COVID-19 SCAMMERS

Scot Brady, the U.S. Attorney for the Western Pennsylvania district and State Attorney General Josh Shapiro have formed the Western Pennsylvania Covid-19 Fraud Task Force, to investigate and prosecute scammers taking advantage of the pandemic.

The task force will combine the power of federal and state resources, cross-designated to battle scammer.

Some of the scams they will be looking for include treatment scams promising fake cures, supply scams offering to sell medical supplies, provider scams seeking payments for treating family members who were not treated, charity scams asking for donations, and phishing, app, investment, and price gouging scams.

FROM THE JOIN STATEMENT OF U.S. ATTORNEY SCOTT BRADY AND PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH SHAPIRO:

Some examples of COVID-19 scams include:

Treatment scams: Scammers are offering to sell fake cures, vaccines, and advice on unproven treatments for COVID-19.
Supply scams: Scammers are creating fake shops, websites, social media accounts, and email addresses claiming to sell medical supplies currently in high demand, such as surgical masks. When consumers attempt to purchase supplies through these channels, fraudsters pocket the money and never provide the promised supplies.
Provider scams: Scammers are also contacting people by phone and email, pretending to be doctors and hospitals that have treated a friend or relative for COVID-19, and demanding payment for that treatment.
Charity scams: Scammers are soliciting donations for individuals, groups, and areas affected by COVID-19.
Phishing scams: Scammers posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sending phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
App scams: Scammers are also creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users’ devices and personal information.
Investment scams: Scammers are offering online promotions on various platforms, including social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect, or cure COVID-19, and that the stock of these companies will dramatically increase in value as a result. These promotions are often styled as “research reports,” make predictions of a specific “target price,” and relate to microcap stocks, or low-priced stocks issued by the smallest of companies with limited publicly available information.
Price Gouging scams: Individuals and businesses may sell essential goods, like hand sanitizer, for significantly higher prices than in a non-emergency setting. It is legally considered price gouging when the price of one of these products increases more than 20 percent its price one week prior to an emergency declaration from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

U.S. Attorney Brady and Attorney General Shapiro urge everyone, especially those most at risk of serious illness, to avoid these and similar scams by taking the following steps:

Independently verify the identity of any company, charity, or individual that contacts you regarding COVID-19.
Check the websites and email addresses offering information, products, or services related to COVID-19. Be aware that scammers often employ addresses that differ only slightly from those belonging to the entities they are impersonating. For example, they might use “cdc.com” or “cdc.org” instead of “cdc.gov.”
Be wary of unsolicited emails offering information, supplies, or treatment for COVID-19 or requesting your personal information for medical purposes. Legitimate health authorities will not contact the general public this way.
Do not click on links or open email attachments from unknown or unverified sources. Doing so could download a virus onto your computer or device.
Make sure the anti-malware and anti-virus software on your computer is operating and up to date.
Ignore offers for a COVID-19 vaccine, cure, or treatment. Remember, if there is a medical breakthrough, you won’t hear about it for the first time through an email, online ad, or unsolicited sales pitch.
Check online reviews of any company offering COVID-19 products or supplies. Avoid companies whose customers have complained about not receiving items.
Research any charities or crowdfunding sites soliciting donations in connection with COVID- 19 before giving. Remember, an organization may not be legitimate even if it uses words like “CDC” or “government” in its name or has reputable looking seals or logos on its materials. For online resources on donating wisely, visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website.
Be wary of any business, charity, or individual requesting payments or donations in cash, by wire transfer, gift card, or through the mail. Don’t send money through any of these channels.
Be cautious of “investment opportunities” tied to COVID-19, especially those based on claims that a small company’s products or services can help stop the virus. If you decide to invest, carefully research the investment beforehand. For information on how to avoid investment fraud, visit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website.
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) websites.

We urge you: don’t fall victim to these frauds. We have set up a dedicated toll free Hotline and dedicated email addresses for the public to report suspected COVID-19 fraud. If you believe you have been a target or victim of these frauds, please report them the Task Force at: