PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVID-19 SCAMS

Even in the wake of a global pandemic, unscrupulous people will attempt to take advantage of others through fraudulent activity. Because there have been numerous reports of COVID-19 fraud occurring around the country, it is important for our residents to be on the lookout.

According to the United States Department of Justice, the following are just a few examples of the latest scams:

• Individuals and businesses selling fake cures for COVID-19 online
• Phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Malicious websites and apps that appear to share COVID-19 related information to gain and lock access to your devices until payment is received
• Individuals or organizations seeking donations for illegitimate or non-existent charitable organizations

“My goal is to protect our residents by getting the word out and alerting them to these scams,” said Christine Giordano Hanlon, Monmouth County Clerk. “The best defense is to know what to expect and to then take action to protect yourself.”

If you suspect COVID-19 fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud by calling their Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or by emailing disaster@leo.gov. You could also report it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at tips.fbi.gov. For cyber scams, submit your complaint through https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

New Jersey residents can also report malicious cyber activity to the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell via the cyber incident report form at www.cyber.nj.gov/report.

SOCIAL SECURITY SCAMS ON THE RISE

The Social Security Administration recently launched a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to warn people about an ongoing nationwide telephone impersonation scheme. Social Security and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have been receiving reports about fraudulent phone calls from people falsely claiming to be Social Security employees.  The scammers mislead victims into making cash or gift card payments for help with purported identity theft, or to avoid arrest for bogus Social Security number problems. Even County Clerk Hanlon received one of these fraudulent calls.

If a caller states there is a problem with a person’s Social Security number or account, the person should hang up and never give the caller money or personal information. People should then go online to oig.ssa.gov to report the scam call to Social Security, according to Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul. The new PSA video addressing the telephone impersonation scheme is available online at www.youtube.com/socialsecurity.

It is important to note that fraudsters are now also emailing fake documents to trick people into complying with their demands. Victims have received emails with attached letters and reports that appear to be from Social Security or the OIG.  The letters may use official letterhead and government jargon to fool victims.  They may also contain misspellings and grammatical errors.  Report these scams to the Social Security Administration as well at oig.ssa.gov.