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Officials warn of scams surrounding stimulus checks

WHEELING — The U.S. government has started the distribution of coronavirus stimulus payments, and already scammers are attempting to steal them from the nation’s most vulnerable — typically the elderly, according to Sen. Shelley Capito.

Capito learned earlier this week a caller who identified themself as an Internal Revenue Service agent told a West Virginia resident they needed his bank account information so his stimulus payment could be deposited.

She warned West Virginians this is not how the IRS would contact an individual, and they should not provide their banking information over the phone.

“The IRS is not going to call you to ask you over the phone for your bank deposit information.They are not going to email you or text you. That is not how that happens. It happens in a secure environment,” said Capito, R-W.Va.

“I really worry about people getting other people’s checks, or the gullibility that maybe you have to register with somebody and pay a fee. People just prey on the elderly so much in terms of fraud.”

The man receiving the call contacted Capito’s office to confirm the validity of the request, and did not lose money, according to Capito.

If West Virginians believe that they have been scammed, they should contact the office of West Virginia Attorney Patrick Morrisey at 1-800-368-8808, according to information provided by Capito.

Morrisey has joined with U.S. attorneys Mike Stuart for the Southern District of West Virginia, and Bill Powell for the Northern District of West Virginia to form the West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force. The group is charged with identifying, investigating and prosecuting fraud relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some examples of coronavirus and 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.

• Price Gouging scams: Individuals and businesses may sell essential goods, like hand sanitizer, for significantly higher prices than in a non-emergency setting. It is legally considered price gouging when the price of one of these products increases more than 10 percent its price in effect 10 days prior to an emergency declaration.

To report suspicious activity regarding the COVID-19 virus, residents are asked to call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or email at disaster@leo.gov.

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