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We represent two organizations: Women Police of Alaska and Alaska Peace Officers Association, with a combined 50-plus years of law enforcement experience. Tens of millions of U.S. residents have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. But one type of business is booming — fraud. The novel coronavirus pandemic is opening new opportunities for scammers. While community spread of the virus can create havoc, community spread of what to watch for can stop fraud in its tracks. We want to describe some of the recent scams we are seeing so that you can spread the word.
COVID-19: Direct sales of “cures” or “vaccines” can be found online. Phishing emails (requesting personally identifying information) pretending to be from the World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control regarding the virus are fake charitable organizations requesting funds. (WHO’s legitimate charity is the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.) In one cruel scam, they pretend to be medical providers or hospitals that have treated friends or relatives demanding payment for services. Sites offering the ability to track the virus can actually be channels for malware to be introduced. The Internal Revenue Service warns that with the implementation of the impact check delivery, scammers may pretend to be the IRS calling to verify filing information.
Email: In a typical scam, the sender claims to be a hacker who has been watching you for months and claims your computer was infected with malware your antivirus programs cannot fix. He says he sees you through your computer’s camera or obtained access through a website you visited. He demands $500.00 be transferred to his Bitcoin account within 50 hours. How you should deal with this: Hit delete on the email.
Texts: Appearing to be from a bank or business, you are told there is something wrong with your account. They ask that you click on a link within the message. They may ask you to enter Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers. Although you may get legitimate text alerts from businesses, they should never ask you to enter their site through a link. You should verify the veracity of “late payment” or “disconnect” notices by independently going to the website or by calling. Some variations include announcing you won a contest or free shopping spree. Again, don’t reply, just hit delete.
Telephone calls: Your caller ID may show an Alaska area code, but scammers “spoof” phone numbers and are usually out of state or in another country. Scammers pretend to be in law enforcement. They say that you missed a court date, jury duty, failed to pay a fine or are non-compliant regarding your sex offender registration. They even scour obituaries threatening family members with probate fees that were not paid. They threaten you with imminent arrest if you don’t follow their instructions to buy gift cards demanding that you stay on the phone with them until the cards are purchased. You are instructed to scratch off the covering of the code number and read it to them. Once you do this, within seconds, they send the code to an accomplice who immediately spends the money. Law enforcement will never demand money from someone who failed to pay. Actual officers find it works better not to call people to warn of an impending arrest.
Romance: With these scams, your new online “friend” has a crisis and is grateful to have someone like you who can assist them with a loan. Their photos come from online models or ads. If they don’t ask for cash, they ask you to do them a favor by depositing (counterfeit) checks into your account and then transfer money to a third party. Never make financial transactions for someone you have never met in person. They want your money, not a relationship.
If you have been victimized by these scams, there is often no way to recover any funds. These scammers are very good at what they do. The best way to recover emotionally from this kind of victimization is to help prevent others from suffering as well. Tell as many people as you can about what happened or what to watch for. Knowledge is power.
Andrea Jacobson is President of Women Police of Alaska. Michele Logan is President of the Alaska Peace Officers Association, Anchorage Chapter. Both are certified fraud examiners.
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