Beware of phony forms when signing up for your free COVID-19 test

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Beware of phony forms when signing up for your free COVID-19 test

U.S. households can now request free at-home COVID-19 test kits through a new Biden administration program. But when the government rolls out big initiatives, such as the stimulus checks, scammers typically find ways to take advantage. This time, watch out for lookalike websites when requesting your tests. These scam sites may ask for payment or personal information, such as your Social Security number.

How the scam may work

You hear about the free COVID-19 tests and do a search for it online. Or you see a post or ad on social media or receive an unsolicited email or text. These communications urge you to request your free tests immediately by clicking on a link.

You follow the link to a website that looks official at first glance. It may have the United States Postal Service (USPS) logo, just like the real website. It also has a form to request

Buyer beware! Here are some of the top scams to look out for in 2022

Jan 20, 2022, 3:48amUpdated 1d ago

By: News 12 Staff

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about some of the top scams to watch out for in 2022.

Heather Sommers loves her puppy, Cannoli. The problem is that she only got him after losing $900 on another dog that didn’t exist.

“I was shaking when it was happening. It’s heartbreaking,” Sommers says.

Sommers picked out a puppy from a website run by a so-called dog breeder. She realized that something was wrong when the breeder kept demanding more money, supposedly for a special air-conditioned crate. When Sommers called police, she learned that both the breeder and the dog were fake.

“We did what I thought were all the right things. We asked for proof of puppy. We were sent additional photos,” Sommers says.

Melissa Companick, of the Better Business Bureau, says that the puppy scam is one of

Beware of Amazon impersonators this Black Friday, warns Far better Business Bureau

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The Greater Enterprise Bureau is warning consumers to be more vigilant when searching on the web this Black Friday.

This is primary time for scammers to impersonate key businesses like Amazon to steal your own information and facts.

“Some of the matters we see are spoofed e-mails, unsolicited calls, people reaching out to buyers saying that they are contacting on behalf of Amazon and that there is a challenge and that they want speedy consideration. They want payments or they require your facts,” the president & CEO at Superior Company Bureau of Mainland BC, Simone Lis, informed Shopper Issues.

The U.S. based mostly Federal Trade Commission reviews that involving July 2020 and June 2021, one particular in a few persons who claimed a organization impersonator reported the scammer pretended to be from Amazon. About 96,000 persons described becoming targeted and close to 6,000 mentioned they lost cash. Claimed losses

Sellers beware! Bogus purchasers want to hijack your mobile phone number

Offering products on an on the net market like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace can be an simple way to make excess income and get rid of points you really don’t will need. Having said that, scammers are using a clever trick to focus on sellers and established up a cellular phone amount in their title.

How the Rip-off Is effective

You checklist an item and get an immediate reaction from a possible customer. The “buyer” statements to be quite interested in your item, but they want to make sure you are respectable 1st. The scammer asks for your cell phone amount, so they can text you a verification code. They instruct you to reply with the 6-digit code on the system in which your merchandise is mentioned.

Seems affordable, right? Having said that, here’s what is genuinely going on. The scammer is environment up a Google Voice quantity connected to

Improved Small business Bureau: Beware of COVID funeral ripoffs | Capabilities/Enjoyment

A new United States federal plan is encouraging to spend funeral bills of individuals who died from COVID-19. Sad to say, scammers are applying this as a possibility to steal private facts from bereaved loved ones users.

How the fraud will work

You get a get in touch with, email, or textual content message from someone who statements to be from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or one more government agency. The scammer is allegedly achieving out as component of the formal COVID-19 Funeral Assistance method.

This “government official” statements that you qualify for fiscal help. But 1st they require info to “register” you for the method. Scammers may talk to for the identify, start date, and social stability range of a deceased relatives member. Sharing this facts can lead to identification theft. You can browse additional on this subject matter with this short article from AARP at www.aarp.org/revenue/frauds-fraud/info-03-2013/defending-the-lifeless-from-id-theft.html