Coronavirus phone scams: Scammers are tricking people into 'reserving' a vaccine
We have enough to worry about these days with the threat of coronavirus and financial turbulence. But leave it to robocallers to throw salt in our wounds and add insult to injury.
People are now reporting bizarre and frightening phone scams that promise coronavirus cures and vaccine reservations. Some are even fooling people into thinking they’re infected so they’ll pay for medicine. Tap or click here to find out how you can sue robocallers.
If you receive a robocall with any information about the coronavirus outbreak, you need to hang up. Spend too long on the phone with one of these heartless cretins and you’ll be short on cash and full of anxiety. Here’s what to look for.
Robocallers: The ultimate cynics
People are working from home more than ever, which means they’re far more likely to receive and take calls than they would at their job sites.
This makes our current moment in history a perfect opportunity for sociopathic phone scammers. And sure enough, reports are flooding in from across North America about despicable coronavirus phone scams and robocalls.
The details in these calls may seem sketchy at first, but for people under quarantine or living in fear of the disease, it’s not hard to imagine people taking some of these messages seriously.
And that’s just what these frauds are banking on to make a quick buck. Tap or click here to find out how to avoid getting tricked by online coronavirus scams.
What are the callers saying to victims?
There are currently two versions of the calls that seem to be the most popular. One claims to be from the CDC and offers “exclusive reservations” for a coronavirus vaccine in exchange for your credit card and Social Security numbers.
There have been enough calls in the San Francisco Bay Area that the Daly City police department took it upon themselves to warn consumers over Twitter.
New scam: People are claiming to be from the CDC offering to let people “reserve a vaccine for the COVID-19” with a credit card and/or social security number. There is no vaccine reserve program, and the CDC is not offering anything of the sort. Do not fall prey!
— Daly City Police (@DalyCityPD) March 17, 2020
One important reason to file your taxes this week
The IRS officially kicked off this year’s tax season on Jan. 27. You have until Wednesday, April 15 to file your taxes unless you request an extension.
Even though tax season just began, scammers are already out in full force. Tap or click here to see some of the fast-spreading tax scams.
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