COVID-19 Fraud

May 13, 2020 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: Justice.gov

 

The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force

The United States Attorneys for the Western and Eastern Districts of Virginia, the FBI, and the Virginia State Police are working to protect the residents of Virginia from fraud and exploitation arising from the current coronavirus pandemic through the formation of the Virginia Coronavirus Task Force.

The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is a joint federal and state group that will be led by Assistant United States Attorneys from both the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, in partnership with experienced fraud investigators from the FBI and the Virginia State Police.  The mission of the task force is to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Virginia.

 

Recent Task Force Activity:

April 17, 2020Coronavirus Fraud Task Force Committed to Protecting U.S. Postal Service Delivery of Economic Impact Payments

April 16, 2020Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force Warns of Stimulus Check Scams

April 10, 2020Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force Asks Hospitals for Help Identifying Potential Fraud

April 2, 2020Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force, IRS-CI Warn of Potential COVID-19 Economic Impact Payment Scams

April 1, 2020DOJ Announces $16 Million Available to Virginia Governments and Law Enforcement Agencies to Aid Coronavirus Response

March 27, 2020: Virginia U.S. Attorneys Issue Statement on Virginia Recommendations Regarding Medical Prescriptions During COVID-19 Pandemic

Statement from U.S. Attorneys Thomas T. Cullen and G. Zachary Terwilliger

Letter of March 25, 2020 from Dr. N Norman Oliver, MD, MA, Virginia State Health Commissioner

 

To report fraud, please contact:

Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator, Assistant United States Attorney Michael Baudinet, USAVAW.COVID19@usdoj.gov or 540-278-1494.

Eastern Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin G. Cooke, Kaitlin.Cooke@usdoj.gov or 804-819-5416.

FBI at:  https://www.ic3.gov or 804-261-1044.

To report fraudulent activity to the Virginia State Police, Virginians can contact the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) at vfc@vfc.vsp.virginia.gov.

For continuing information on the COVID-19 virus and the federal response, check https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

The Task Force is working to keep the public safe from fraud and scams. Some examples of COVID-19 scams include:

  • Treatment scams:  Scammers are offering to sell fake cures, vaccines, and advice on unproven treatments for COVID-19
  • Supply scams:  Scammers are creating fake shops, websites, social media accounts, and email addresses claiming to sell medical supplies currently in high demand, such as surgical masks. When consumers attempt to purchase supplies through these channels, fraudsters pocket the money and never provide the promised supplies.
  • Provider scams:  Scammers are also contacting people by phone and email, pretending to be doctors and hospitals that have treated a friend or relative for COVID-19, and demanding payment for that treatment.
  • Charity scams:  Scammers are soliciting donations for individuals, groups, and areas affected by COVID-19.
  • Phishing scams:  Scammers posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sending phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
  • App scams:  Scammers are also creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users’ devices and personal information.
  • Investment scams:  Scammers are offering online promotions on various platforms, including social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect, or cure COVID-19, and that the stock of these companies will dramatically increase in value as a result. These promotions are often styled as “research reports,” make predictions of a specific “target price,” and relate to microcap stocks, or low-priced stocks issued by the smallest of companies with limited publicly available information.