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During the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers may try to take advantage of you. They might get in touch by phone, email, postal mail, text, or social media. Protect your money and your identity. Don't share personal information like your bank account number, Social Security number, or date of birth. Learn how to recognize and report a COVID vaccine scam and other types of coronavirus scams.
Scammers change their methods frequently. Current coronavirus scams include:
Charity scams - Fake charities pop up during disasters. And scammers can also claim to be from real charities. Learn how to research charity claims and protect your money.
Checks from the government - Scammers say they’re from the IRS or another government agency. They ask for your personal information or try to charge you fake fees for getting your stimulus check or offer you a way to get the money early.
FDIC and banking - People pretend to call from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or your bank. They say your bank account or your ability to get cash are in danger and ask for your personal information.
Grandparent and military service member scams - A scammer pretends to be a grandchild or a military service member. They say they're sick or in trouble because of the coronavirus. They contact you asking to wire them money to pay for fake medical or travel expenses.
COVID-19 funeral assistance scam - Scammers pretend to be from FEMA's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program and call to offer program registration to family members of people who have died from COVID-19. In this way, the scammers can steal the family members' Social Security numbers and other forms of identification.
Rumors, myths, and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus can be frightening and misleading. Go to FEMA's Rumor Control page to check out the real answers about the rumors you're hearing.
During times of high demand, sellers may raise prices to a very high and unfair level on needed items like:
Face masks
Hand sanitizer
Household or personal care items
This is called price gouging and it’s illegal. If you suspect price gouging, report it to your state attorney general.
Banking Scams
Banking scams involve attempts to access your bank account. Use this information to recognize, report, and protect yourself from them.
The most common banking scams include:
Overpayment scams - Someone sends you a check, instructs you to deposit it in your bank account, and wire part of the money back to them. But the check was fake, so you’ll have to pay your bank the amount of the check, plus you’ll lose any money you wired.
Unsolicited check fraud - A scammer sends you a check for no reason. If you cash it, you may be authorizing the purchase of items or signing up for a loan you didn’t ask for.
Automatic withdrawals - A scam company sets up automatic withdrawals from your bank account to qualify for a free trial or to collect a prize.
Phishing - You receive an email message that asks you to verify your bank account or debit card number.
The proper organization to report a banking scam depends on which type of scam you experienced.
Contact your bank to report and stop unauthorized automatic withdrawals from your account.
Forward phishing emails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
Remember these tips to avoid a banking scam:
Do
Be suspicious if you are told to wire a portion of funds from a check you received back to a company.
Be wary of lotteries or free trials that ask for your bank account number.
Verify the authenticity of a cashier’s check with the bank that it is drawn on before depositing it.
When verifying a check or the issuer, use contact information on a bank’s website.
Don’t
Don’t trust the appearance of checks or money orders. Scammers can make them look legitimate and official.
Don’t deposit checks or money orders from strangers or companies you don’t have a relationship with.
Don’t wire money to people or companies you don’t know.
Don’t give your bank account number to someone who calls you, even for verification purposes.
Don’t click on links in an email to verify your bank account.
Don’t accept a check that includes an overpayment.
Telephone Scams
Telephone scammers try to steal your money or personal information. Scams may come through phone calls from real people, robocalls, or text messages. Callers often make false promises, such as opportunities to buy products, invest your money, or receive free product trials. They may also offer you money through free grants and lotteries. Some scammers may call with threats of jail or lawsuits if you don’t pay them.
It's important to report phone scams to federal agencies. They can’t investigate individual cases. But your report can help them collect evidence for lawsuits against scammers.
Remember these tips to avoid being a victim of a telephone scam:
Do
Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You may register online or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). If you still receive telemarketing calls after registering, there’s a good chance that the calls are scams.
Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.
Hang up on suspicious phone calls.
Be cautious of caller ID. Scammers can change the phone number that shows up on your caller ID screen. This is called “spoofing.”
Don’t give in to pressure to take immediate action.
Don’t say anything if a caller starts the call asking, “Can you hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “yes.” Scammers record your “yes” response and use it as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.
Don’t provide your credit card number, bank account information, or other personal information to a caller.
Don’t send money if a caller tells you to wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card.
Census-Related Fraud
Census scams happen when someone pretends to work for the Census Bureau to steal your personal information. Use this information to learn how these scams work, and protect yourself against them.
Some scam artists may pretend to be work for the Census Bureau. They'll try to collect your personal information to use for fraud or to steal your identity. These scam artists may send you letters that seem to come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Others may come to your home to collect information about you.
If you suspect fraud, report it to the Census Bureau’s regional office for your state. Forward scam emails to the Census Bureau at ois.fraud.reporting@census.gov.
Follow these tips to ensure that your personal information stays safe:
Do
Verify that the study is legitimate. Check the survey name on the Census Bureau's list of surveys.
Don’t share your full Social Security number, bank or credit card account numbers, or your mother’s maiden name. The Census Bureau won't ask for this type of information.
Don't trust emails claiming to be from the Census Bureau. This agency uses postal mail to invite individuals to take part in its surveys. If you get an email from the Census Bureau, it's probably a scam.
Government grant scammers try to get your money by guaranteeing you a grant for costs like college or home repairs. They ask for your checking account information. With it, they say they will "deposit the grant money into your account" or withdraw a “one-time processing fee.”
In reality, government grants are rarely awarded to individuals. They usually go to state and local governments, universities, and other organizations. The money is awarded to help pay for research and projects that will benefit the public.
By calling toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261
The FTC enters fraud-related complaints into a database available to law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
If you’ve paid a fee to learn about or apply for a government grant, you can report it to your state consumer protection office. The government does not charge for information or applications for federal grants.
Remember these tips to avoid being a victim of a grant scam:
Do
Be wary of advertisements and calls about free government grants. These are usually scams.
Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. This may reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive. You can register:
By calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register
Don’t
Don’t give your bank account information to anyone you don’t know.
Don’t pay any money for a government grant. You can get information about government grants for free at public libraries and online at Grants.gov. Government agencies don’t charge processing fees for grants they’ve awarded.
Don’t believe callers who claim they’re from an official-sounding government agency with news about a grant. Check out the name of the agency online or in the phone book—it may be fake.
Don’t assume a phone call is originating from the area code displayed on your caller ID. Some scam artists use technology to disguise their location and make it appear as if they’re calling from Washington, DC.
Investment Scams
Investment scams promise high returns, without financial risk. Use this information to report and protect your investments.
Report investment scams, if you have been a victim.
The SEC may forward your complaint to the investment company. It will request that the company reply to your complaint. The FTC will not research your individual case of investment fraud.
Remember these tips to avoid being a victim of an investment scam:
Don’t feel obligated to invest, even if the professional gave you a gift, lunch, or reduced their fees.
Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams
Prize scammers try to get your money or personal information through fake lotteries, sweepstakes, or other contests. Many claim that you’ve won a prize but must pay a fee to collect it. Others require you to provide personal information to enter a “contest.” These scams may reach you by postal mail, email, phone call, robocall, or text message.
Federal agencies investigate scams and pursue criminal charges against the scammers. They don’t, however, investigate individual cases. State consumer protection offices might pursue individual cases as well as investigate scams.
Remember these tips to avoid being a victim of a lottery or sweepstakes scam:
Do
Ask yourself if you entered a particular contest. If you didn’t enter it, the prize notice is likely a fake.
Some scammers use the names of organizations that run real sweepstakes. Research the company's contact information. Contact them to verify if the prize is legitimate.
Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You may register online or by calling 1-888-382-1222. If you still receive telemarketing calls after registering, there’s a good chance that the calls are scams.
Report spam text messages to your mobile carrier, then delete them.
Hang up on suspicious calls.
Don’t
Don’t pay a fee, taxes, or shipping charges to receive a prize.
Don’t wire money to, or deposit a check from, any organization claiming to run a sweepstakes or lottery.
Don’t provide your credit card number or bank account information to receive a prize.
Don’t believe someone just because they say they’re from the government or an official-sounding organization.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC does not resolve individual matters. But it does track charity fraud claims and sues companies on the behalf of consumers.
Verify the name. Fake charities often choose names that are close to well established charities.
Don’t
Don’t give in to high pressure tactics such as urging you to donate immediately.
Don’t assume that you can get a tax deduction for donating to an organization. Use the IRS’s database of 501(c)3 organizations to find out if it has this status.
Don’t send cash. Pay with a check or credit card.
Pyramid Schemes
Pyramid schemes are scams that need a constant flow of new participants to keep them going. They are marketed as multi-level marketing programs or other types of legitimate businesses. They use new recruits’ "investments" to pay “profits” to those participating longer.
Pyramid schemes collapse when they can't recruit enough new participants to pay earlier investors. These scams always fail—it’s mathematically guaranteed.
Ask to see financial statements audited by a certified public accountant (CPA). Find out if the company earns income from selling its products or services to customers, not to its sales team.
Be skeptical of success stories and testimonials of fantastic earnings.
Don’t
Don’t invest until you’ve verified that the business is legitimate.
Don’t get involved in businesses that make you recruit new participants.
Don’t buy into franchises that promise big or quick profits.
A Ponzi scheme is a type of investment fraud. Use this information to identify, report, and protect yourself against this type of scam.
Ponzi schemes rely on money from new investors to pay “returns” to current investors. To keep the scheme going, the scammers must continually recruit new investors and discourage current investors from cashing out. Otherwise, they won't bring in enough cash to pay current investors, and the scheme will collapse.
Keep these tips in mind to protect yourself from Ponzi schemes:
Do
Be wary of any investment that regularly pays positive returns regardless of what the overall market is doing.
Avoid investments if you don’t understand them or can’t get complete information about them.
Be alert to account statement errors, which may be a sign of investment fraud.
Be suspicious if you don’t receive a payment or have difficulty cashing out.
Don’t
Don’t put your money in investments that promise big returns with little to no risk.
Don’t contribute to any investment that isn’t registered with the SEC or with state regulators.
Don’t get financially involved with any unlicensed investment professional or unregistered firm.
Ticket Scams
Ticket selling scams happen when a scammer uses tickets as bait to steal your money. The scammer usually sells fake tickets, or you pay for a ticket, but never receive it. They are common when tickets for popular concerts, plays, and sporting events sell out.
Scammers, including individuals and fake resale companies, take advantage of ticket shortages by:
Charging prices much higher than the face value of a ticket
Creating counterfeit tickets with forged barcodes and logos of real ticket companies
Selling duplicates of a legitimate ticket and emailing it to several buyers
Pretending to sell tickets online to steal your credit card information
There are several options to report a ticket scam.
If you paid by credit card, report the problem to the card company. You may be able to dispute the charge.
Learn what you can do to avoid becoming a victim:
Do
Buy tickets at the venue box office.
Buy tickets from authorized brokers and third party sellers, with verified contact information.
Look for red flags in the ticket offer. If the offer has imperfect English or unusual phrases, the offer could be a scam.
Verify that the seller has a real physical addresses and phone numbers. Scammers often post fake addresses, PO Box, or no address on their websites.
Check the actual web address of the resale ticket seller. Some scammers create phony websites that look like real ticket sellers' websites.
Search online for negative reviews about the seller. Use the seller’s name, email address, and phone number, along with the words “fraud,” “scams,” and “fake tickets”.
Verify the details on the ticket. Check the date and the time printed on the tickets. Make sure the section and seat numbers actually exist at the venue.
Have the seller meet you in person in a public place for the ticket exchange.
Ask the seller for proof that they bought the tickets, if you are buying from an individual.
Use a credit card to pay third party sellers. Your credit card offers protections, if you need to dispute a charge.
