Scams to Avoid During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Scammers are taking advantage of government-issued stimulus payments and other scenarios related to the current Coronavirus Pandemic. Read on to learn about a few of these scams, and most importantly, how to protect yourself. 

Stimulus check scams

Scammers have started to take advantage of these payments.  They’re promising stimulus checks but requiring an up-front payment. Scammers might even ask for your account information or other sensitive information, like your date-of-birth or SSN.

How to avoid these scams:

Be careful with your private information. BluCurrent will never call and ask for your private information and government agencies will not be calling you regarding your stimulus check. Don’t respond to emails or phone calls asking you for private information. If possible, block the caller or the email address.

If you’re looking forward to receiving a government-issued stimulus payment in the coming days or weeks, visit our blog to learn how to access your funds with BluCurrent and other safe resources on getting more info on your payment.

Social engineering scams

Fraudsters are taking advantage of people spending more time on social media right now. Trending “games” encouraging users to share information such as a picture of their first car, senior photo, or a list of maiden names going back three generations shares personal information often used in security questions used for online banking or other sensitive sites.

How to avoid these scams:

Don’t participate in these trending “games”. It might seem fun, but it opens the opportunity for scammers to obtain and use your information to gain access to sensitive sites like online banking.

Remote-working scams

Fraudsters are taking advantage of current “stay-at-home” orders that are causing an increase in workers and schools conducting business and online learning from home. The influx of workers and students using home technology services and personal devices to log in to online platforms and video conferencing software creates additional opportunities for scammers and fraudsters to steal personal information, take over devices or listen in on conversations.

How to avoid these scams:

Restrict access to meetings or online learning with passwords and don’t share links to meetings in a public online setting.  Make sure you have firewall software installed and never click on pop-up ads that appear to be from a software vendor.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) & Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are encouraging people to be cautious of multiple other scams related to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Check out a more complete list Heartland Credit Union Association has put together, or visit the FTC or FBI websites for additional information.