#Middlebury #Seniors
Scammers have come up with even more ways to defraud us, this time using the coronavirus. Some pretend to be contact tracers but ask for more than health information.
Contact tracers are people who make calls when someone you know has tested positive for the coronavirus. Their job is to trace the possible path the virus has taken from person to person. They need only health information and the places you’ve been. They don’t need financial or personal information. If someone calls you who insists on knowing additional information as part of the contact tracing, hang up.
If you get emails or calls from someone saying they have a cure for the virus, or a sure-fire method of being certain you don’t get it, hang up. Their next questions likely will be to ask for your personal or financial information, or a credit card number so you can pay for shipping. Don’t fall for it. There are no approved test kits or cures that can be handed out to the general public.
If you get email that’s supposedly from the government asking about where to send your stimulus relief check, ignore it. The government is not going to contact you about that. They’ll send your check (if you’re eligible for one) in the mail or they’ll deposit it directly into your account, the same one where they deposit your Social Security benefit. Scammers also will pretend to be people from your bank.
If you get a robocall saying you qualify for low-cost coronavirus insurance, hang up.
If you get suspicious email that looks like it might be from the government with information about coronavirus, don’t open it, and especially don’t click on any links. Those can put a virus or tracer on your computer.
To stay up on the news about the virus, use a legitimate source: www.ftc.gov/coronavirus. On that site you’ll find more information about avoiding coronavirus scams. Beware … and stay safe.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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