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OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
MICHAEL G. NERHEIM
STATE'S ATTORNEY
April 3, 2020
For Immediate Release
Contact: Lee Filas
(847) 377-3141 – office
(847) 707-6479 – cell
lfilas@lakecountyil.gov
Lake County State's Attorney's Office warns of scams regarding COVID-19 tests
(Lake County, IL) Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim is warning residents of potential scams that attempt to prey on people during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Nerheim said his office has been advised that scammers are making phone calls posing at health care workers or companies offering COVID-19 tests. In many cases, these scammers claim they are able to either obtain tests for people or are able to get test results to people quicker. In these cases, the person is asked to pay in cash or hand over personal identifying information in exchange for the test.
“In most cases, these crimes are preventable by using common sense,” State’s Attorney Nerheim said. “People should always be wary of any business, charity, government or individual requesting payments in cash, wire transfers, or gift cards through the mail. In addition, people should never share identifiable personal or financial information with any unknown sources.”
The Lake County Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will never send an employee to the home of a person to sell a COVID-19 test. Testing is limited to high-risk individuals in the State of Illinois and must be arranged through a healthcare provider. For more information, please visit www.lakecountyil.gov/coronavirus.
Should someone become the target or fall victim to a scam during COVID-19 pandemic, they should reach out to local law enforcement or contact the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office directly at (847) 377-3000 or via email at statesattorney@lakecountyil.gov. People can also file a complaint online with the Illinois Attorney Generals Office at illinoisattorneygeneral.gov or follow the links on the state's attorney's website at lcsao.org.
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Lake County State's Attorney's Office 18 N. County Street Waukegan, IL 60085 Phone: (847) 377-3000
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