Scammers are taking advantage of the pandemic to trick people into giving away money and personal information.
Some of these scams take the forms of e-mails and robocalls claiming to be from a reputable organization like the CDC or WHO. There can be an appeal to urgency, such as saying you were exposed by someone to the disease, and they need your personal information. Others may be asking for donations, but those aren’t actually going to a legitimate organization. Retired NIU Professor David Sinason specializes in fraud prevention. He said due diligence is key.
“Make sure that you are giving money to reputable charities. If it says it’s for the local hospital, you may want to contact the local hospital or go to the local hospital’s website,” said Sinason.
Sinason said to also be wary of deals at online stores offering unusual bargains. This could include items that have a reasonable price but an inflated shipping cost, or a website with a product that seems too good to be true.