Americans are losing money to coronavirus scams at a startling rate
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Scammers take no days off — not even during a pandemic.
Consumers have filed over 15,000 complaints claiming nearly $12 million in losses from COVID-19 related scams, according to a Federal Trade Commission report .
More than half of the losses were reported in the first nine days of April, Business Insider reports , indicating a startling shift as the coronavirus crisis continues to spread around the globe. Should the current rate of fraudulent claims continue, Americans could reportedly lose more than $100 million by July.
The FTC's report shows California had the highest amount of claims with over 1,700, followed by Florida with 1,057. Travel and vacation scams were the most commonly reported type, followed by online shopping and text message scams.
As the new coronavirus has spread, complaints of price gouging have increased along with it, forcing retailers to come out against the practice and leading some state governments to take action.
It's anyone's guess when the pandemic will lighten up and the economy will reopen, and given the current state of panic and uncertainty surrounding the crisis, the next several months could be especially fertile ground for fraudsters.
https://theweek.com/speedreads/908195/google-apple-elicit-praise-concern-over-massive-coronavirus-partnership
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https://www.businessinsider.com/consumers-lose-millions-coronavirus-scams-ftc-complaints-face-masks-vaccines-2020-4
On YouTube, Facebook, and other social platforms, videos and advertisements touting overpriced face masks and bogus vaccines are easy to find, despite policies enacted banning such profiteering content. Other sellers have peddled home test kits and treatments — despite the fact that a vaccine for COVID-19 has yet to be officially approved .
The FTC has also warned against robocalls , phishing emails, and text messages trying to sell people on work-from-home schemes and health insurance, and convince consumers they're reliable sources for legitimate information as people scramble for trustworthy updates.
The pandemic has also led to the spread of coronavirus misinformation, to the extent the World Health Organization has declared a news "infodemic." Although social platforms are making efforts to cut down on harmful content online, coronavirus misinformation is still spreading faster than tech companies are able to take it down .
Fact-checking organizations have been tasked with the responsibility of debunking conspiracies, hoaxes, and viral stories that could be a matter of life or death. Snopes, one of the internet's oldest fact-checking sites, recently told Business Insider its web traffic has spiked, as its team debunked stories about vodka as a homemade replacement for hand sanitizer, stores issuing recalls for their toilet paper, and a cattle vaccine being effective in treating coronavirus patients, to name a few.
"These are rumors and grifts and scams that are causing real catastrophic consequences for people at risk," Vinny Green, Snopes' chief operating officer, told Business Insider. "It's the deadliest information crisis we might ever possibly have."
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I wonder if the government will decide to prosecute the white collar criminals this time.
We don't have a 'government' in the traditional sense.
As far as Americans losing money to scams. Americans now have a massive and growing debt and deficit fostered by the shyster in chief. Hell, the MAGA hats are Chinese. So is Ivanka's product lines.
These scammers are the ones that should catch the freakin virus.
I had a scam call a couple days ago, "because of the current covid-19 pandemic, pacific collections..." That is where I deleted the voicemail. If you get some bullshit like that or any voicemail asking for personal info of any kind, it is bullshit.
As the olde saying goes "A fool and his (her) money are soon parted".