In a significant breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the arrest of 35-year-old YunHe Wang, a Chinese national allegedly responsible for orchestrating a global malware network. This network, known as "911 S5," was purportedly used to steal $5.9 billion in Covid relief funds and was tied to other criminal activities, including child exploitation and bomb threats.
Showing posts with label Scams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scams. Show all posts
Unraveling the Web of Corona Fraud: How Scammers Exploited the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, not only in terms of public health but also in the realm of fraud. As the world grappled with the crisis, unscrupulous individuals and organized criminal networks seized the opportunity to exploit the situation for personal gain. In this article, we will delve into the insidious world of "Corona Fraud" by examining the various schemes and scams that emerged during the pandemic, backed by information from reliable sources such as the SMP Resource Center, NBC News, the House Oversight Committee, the Associated Press, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Bill De Blasio Burger and Fries Video
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio downed some Shake Shack fries during a virtual press conference Thursday, touting a new partnership to encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated.
"Free fries when you get vaccinated? I got vaccinated. You're saying I could get these delicious fries? Wait a minute, there's also a burger element to this?" he said, snacking on fries and waving a half-wrapped burger during his daily COVID-19 update.
Bill de Blasio (/dɪˈblɑːzioʊ/; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021.
Jordan Trishton Walker - Pfizer Director of R&D - Strategy Operations & mRNA Scientific Planning
Pfizer Exposed For Exploring "Mutating" COVID-19 Virus For New Vaccines Via 'Directed Evolution'
If 78% of Americans Don't Trust the Government Why Should They Trust The CDC & Fauci?
Public trust in government remains low. Only about one-quarter of Americans say they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (22%).
For years, public trust in the federal government has hovered at near-record lows. That remains the case today, as the United States struggles with a pandemic and economic recession. Just 20% of U.S. adults say they trust the government in Washington to “do the right thing” just about always or most of the time.
Among the public overall, majorities say the government does a very good or somewhat good job keeping the country safe from terrorism (72%), responding to natural disasters (62%), ensuring safe food and medicine (62%), strengthening the economy (54%) and maintaining infrastructure (53%).
Americans are far more critical of how the government handles several other issues, including managing the immigration system (just 34% say it does a good job), helping people get out of poverty (36%) and effectively handling threats to public health (42%).
Trust has played an important role in effectively managing the COVID-19 pandemic, as countries with higher levels of social and government trust have typically seen slower virus spread and a lower mortality rate.10 As trust rises, so does confidence in government information generally, enabling a unified response and increased citizen cooperation. Some Nations like Singapore are learning to ‘Let It Go’ and Live With Covid.
Transparency is the first step to understanding what the problems are, but it’s not the full solution. We need foundational institutional change that takes community knowledge and expertise seriously and includes different perspectives, particularly from communities that are historically marginalized or that are likely to be skeptical. It’s important to consider geography, for example. Representing different viewpoints will address a primary concern to both parties.
COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Scam
Scammers used anything from false masks to COVID-19 scholarships to funeral money to lure victims. They're now concentrating on vaccine passports.
The majority of these ruses are designed to appear to be from the US government. Sylvia, a grandma who fell for the con, received a call saying that now that she'd been vaccinated, she needed to take an online COVID-19 test to ensure the vaccine was functioning before she could acquire a vaccine passport.
"For the first time in more than a year, we're planning a cross-country trip to see our grandchildren," Sylvia remarked. "As a result, I wanted to double-check that we're doing everything we need to do in order to travel."
Sylvia was told that the test would cost her $25 by the con artist. As a result, she provided the fraudster with her bank account number in order to pay for two tests for herself and her husband. The scammer got $500 out of the account instead of $50. When Sylvia reported the event, the bank closed her account.
Texts or emails with links to a testing website, as well as phishing for personal and financial information, are examples of other versions.
It's vital to remember that there is no requirement for post-vaccination testing. There are no online tests available without a sample, and no vaccine passports are necessary. So ignore any unsolicited emails or texts about COVID-19 testing, and hang up on anyone phoning about it.
How to spot a COVID-19 scam:
- Government agencies usually don't communicate through text messages
- Go to the agency's website yourself, without clicking on a link, to verify any information you receive via text or email.
- Ignore instructions to text "STOP" or "NO" to prevent future texts, and don't hit unsubscribe to stop emails. That is a common ploy by scammers to confirm they have an actual, active number.
- Also, check for look-alikes
Be sure to do research and see if a government agency or organization mentioned in a text or email exists. Find contact information and call to see if what you've been told is legitimate.
Black Market for Negative COVID-19 tests
As more countries need travelers to prove their negative status before joining, a black market for negative COVID-19 tests has emerged across the globe, a study said Wednesday.
In France, seven people were arrested at Charles de Gaulle International Airport last week for allegedly hawking doctor-detected coronavirus tests,
The Associated Press announced. For the fake checks, the perpetrators, who were not named, were fined up to $360. After discovering a man bound for Ethiopia with a fake examination, authorities tracked the ring down, according to the article.
If convicted, the suspected scammers face up to five years imprisonment. In South America, four tourists who gave fake tests were detained by Brazilian officials after they flew into an island chain off the country's coast that allows travelers to demonstrate negative test results.
In England, a man told a local newspaper that he was able to travel to Pakistan by using a friend’s negative COVID-19 test and changing his name.
“You can simply get their negative test and change the name and birthdate to your own. You also put a test date on which is within the time limit required,” the man, who didn’t want to be named, told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“You download the email, change it and then print it,” said.
He added that he went to the lengths because he couldn’t get a test that he needed to travel because he’s not an essential worker.
“People are doing this as you can’t get a Covid test if you have to travel to Pakistan in case of an emergency. It is difficult to get one unless you are a key worker,” he said.
The Coronavirus College Scam
My 20-year-old son attends Villanova University. It is a fine school, but this year it costs $70,000 a year for room, board and tuition—for online classes. This fall most colleges are charging full tuition to families like mine to have kids on campus without real classrooms. This is like going to a restaurant and never getting served, but still getting handed the bill.
My son decided to take a pass, and a full-time job instead. He’ll learn some valuable life skills from that experience, and he’ll likely go back when classes are back open. But millions of young people are back on campus this fall. In many college towns, crowded dorms, fraternities, sororities, and bars are open.
According to one report, college students represent 19 of the 25 hottest coronavirus outbreaks in the country with some 40,000 positive cases recorded in September, so administrators are suspending or even expelling students for irresponsible behaviors like going to crowded parties. But what did college presidents expect when they invited students back?
Almost none of the Covid-positive students have needed hospitalization, and most don’t even get sick. The risk to patients under 30 is minimal. But that doesn’t absolve the universities for making choices that benefit themselves at the expense of students, parents, and taxpayers, who foot the bill. The schools collect full tuition while students spread the virus and learn little they couldn’t be sitting in front of the computer in their parents’ house at a fraction of the cost.
Why? Follow the money. American higher education is big business, with total annual revenue of about $600 billion. Last spring, when schools sent students home midsemester, few bothered to refund their tuition. They are terrified that kids will save $150,000 by learning everything they need online, so education experts have trumpeted the value of the on-campus experience. Students are paying for classes they can’t attend. Administrators and professors get paid in full even though most refuse to come anywhere near their students.
10 Stories of False Positive & Fake Positive COVID-19 Test Results
False Positive COVID-19 Test Results With No Actual Tests? Rumors or Real?
In the last few months, social media has been buzzing with people who claim they left a COVID-19 test site because of a long line and then received a positive test result. The fake news media has been absolutely silent on this issue. We found several stories covered by the press below.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he has become aware of people in Florida claiming they went to get tested for coronavirus, left for various reasons before getting swabbed, and then received positive results. Dozens of Florida labs still report only positive COVID tests, skewing positivity rate. Florida is also willing to investigate rumors about positive COVID results with no actual tests.
The NFL had 77 positive Covid-19 tests from 11 teams re-examined by a New Jersey lab after false positives, and all those tests came back negative. The league asked the New Jersey lab BioReference to investigate the results, and those 77 tests are being re-tested once more to make sure they were false positives.
Staff at the CVS rapid testing site in Lincoln, Rhode Island told a local healthcare worker she tested negative for COVID-19. So why did state health officials call her two days later and say she was positive for the virus? The discrepancy first presented itself on the woman’s car windshield. After securing a time slot at the Twin River site last on Wednesday and swabbing the inside of her nose, she sat and waited in her car. About 35 minutes later, she said, her phone rang and a staff member told her she was negative for the novel coronavirus that’s infected thousands of Rhode Islanders. Workers at the testing site put a form letter on her windshield with the results: “You were seen today for COVID-19 Point of Care Testing and have tested negative.”
California Woman Receives Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis at CVS Site Despite Never Being Tested. A rumor quickly making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook is claiming that an LA-area resident tested positive for COVID-19 at a CVS Minute Clinic site in La Habra despite never actually attending their appointment to take the test. The images being circulated include a letter from CVS allegedly confirming the result, and though the actual content of the letter is for the most part blurry and illegible, that isn’t stopping the image from being widely shared on social media. A closer look reveals that the original post came from Instagram account @carolina_gss and that the letter from CVS appears to be legitimate and confirms a 'abnormal/positive' COVID-19 test result. According to the Instagram user’s story highlights, CVS did get in touch shortly afterward to apologize for the mix-up but failed to offer an explanation as to how this error may have occurred.
It has been brought to the attention of the Marshall Police Department a letter indicating residents at Deer Creek Apartment complex had tested positive for COVID-19 had been distributed to the tenants. The department would like to advise the community that this is not true and no one at that complex has been tested for COVID-19.
This form mistakenly handed out and placed on each apartment door. Georgia nurses accuse hospital of manipulating COVID-19 test results. The lawsuit filed against Landmark Hospital in Athens has many allegations including nurses being instructed to swab incorrectly to give false results. The nurses said the hospital instructed staff to take samples from inside someone’s throat, but send the samples to a lab run by Piedmont Hospital that only tests nasal swabs, knowing the results would turn out negative for COVID-19.
Officials with Scottsdale Police Department are asking people in the city to be careful after reports of scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to statements posted to the department's website and on their verified Facebook page, several Scottsdale residents have received a letter in the mail that claims to be from Maricopa County Public Health. The letter also claims residents who test positive or "show abnormal readings" will be taken to the former Tent City jail facility for a minimum of 45 days of quarantine.
A Dover man and small business owner in Sussex County is speaking out after the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) presented him with ‘false positive’ coronavirus test results after he had already tested negative.
A disturbing fake letter is circulating on Calfsocial media, claiming to be from the state of California Department of Social Services. The letter claims if a person is on state-assisted benefits, like Cal Fresh and Medical, the entire household must be tested for COVID-19. It gives a fake website on where to receive free testing - and says failure to do so by June 1st could result in suspended benefits. The last paragraph states if they test positive, kids under the age of 18 would be removed from the home and placed in foster care until they have recovered.
A man in the Dayton-area, for example, recently said he got a letter saying he'd tested negative after signing up for a test he didn't end up taking. And the Mercer County Health Department said it mistakenly sent a letter instructing a man to quarantine for 10 days after he was examined, but not tested, for COVID symptoms.
Please add any new stories below in the comments.
My mums friend booked a COVID test, went to the test site but the queue was ridiculous, she couldn’t be bothered to wait so she turned round and went home without doing one - and got a POSITIVE test result emailed to her a couple days later ???? TELL ME THATS NOT DODGY????
— beth (@bethmeakin) September 28, 2020
Beware of COVID-19 Laboratory Testing Scams
Coronavirus Fraud Takes Many Forms as Federal and Local Officials Continue to Pursue Widespread Cases of Clinical Laboratory Testing Scams
Federal investigators have been actively searching for trends of fraud in Medicare claims data for COVID-19 clinical laboratory research since the pandemic started.
According to media studies, dating back to at least March, fraudulent actors offering fake SARS-CoV-2 tests have preyed on vulnerable Americans in a wide range of ways during the public health emergency. In return for swab collections and fake testing, the New York Times reported, some scam operators have gone into nursing homes and long-term care facilities to raise money from unsuspected elders.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Programs (CMS) no longer needs a laboratory test requirement signed by a treating physician or other provider for COVID-19 testing after the declaration of the public health emergency in the US. "The high demand for and restricted availability of SARS-CoV-2 samples, along with the decision by CMS to loosen rules during the pandemic for some test orders, makes the situation a potentially ripe one for fraud," said Modern Healthcare.
Moreover, a lack of clarification about the medical necessity of COVID-19 tests might increase the risk of liability for clinical laboratories that are law-abiding. All of these variables make COVID-19 fraud testing a possible bombshell for clinical laboratories performing coronavirus testing that could get caught up in federal research.
Feds Increasing Enforcement
The FBI, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the FDA, the Federal Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS), and other federal and local authorities have repeatedly alerted physicians, hospitals, and healthcare customers about the potential for fraud by unscrupulous firms pretending to deliver COVID-19 legitimate clinical laboratory tests shortly after the pandemic arrived in the US. "Scammers are selling fraudulent and/or unapproved COVID-19 antibody tests, potentially providing false results," a June 26 FBI press release said.
Some of the fraudsters behind these scams have operated online and through social media and email. While others have conducted these scams in person or over the phone, noted the press release. And yet, the scams and news stories about them have continued to propagate during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the warnings.
How Do The Fraudsters Work?
Fraudsters aim to collect personal information from customers in many of these scams, including names, birth dates, and social security numbers, as well as other types of personal health information, such as data from Medicare or private health insurance, the FBI said. Scammers can use the data in fraud schemes for medical insurance or to commit identity theft, the agency said.
In addition, any fraudulent or incorrect COVID-19 tests or assays not approved to be used by the FDA may give false results to physicians, potentially creating a dangerous situation for patients.
The New York Times (NYT) recently announced that a notice "about scammers selling fake COVID-19 antibody tests as a way to access personal information that can be used for identity theft or medical insurance fraud" was released by the FBI.
The BBB added an alert to its website three days after the FBI released its warning about the COVID-19 antibody testing scam:' BBB Scam Alert: Want a COVID-19 test? "There is a scam for that." BBB also provided customers with advice about how to stop scam checking.
The FDA announced on June 17 that it had given warning letters to three firms for the sale of adulterated and misbranded COVID-19 antibody tests, an FDA news release said. Warning letters have been sent by the department to:
- Medakit Ltd. of Sheung Wan, Hong Kong;
- Antibodiescheck.com and Yama Group;
- Dr. Jason Korkus, DDS, and Sonrisa Family Dental d/b/a My COVID19 Club of Chicago.
Other scams
The New York Times reported on April 17 that a special agent with the HHS OIG noted that impostors requesting information from Medicare or Medicaid posed as physicians or laboratory technicians in nursing homes and assisted living facilities to deliver fake tests.
The Texas Tribune reported earlier in April that the owner of a freestanding emergency room in Laredo, Texas, spent $500,000 on buying 20,000 COVID-19 rapid tests for patients suspected of having COVID-19. In Laredo, health officials decided to set up a drive-through testing site and then conduct tests to detect active infections from a manufacturer in China. City health officials learned they were ineffective and unusable after attempting to verify the samples.
An April 9 article from the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) news department reported that in several states, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, and Washington state, federal officials have found fake coronavirus testing sites.
According to AARP, the FBI investigated several fake test sites in Louisville, Ky., after a city official confirmed the collection of biological specimens from residents by individuals in personal protective equipment ( PPE). In order to prove their identity, those requesting tests were advised to pay $240 in cash or have their Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security cards.
The AARP confirmed that fake drive-up testing sites were confirmed over a four-day period at gas stations and other locations in Louisville.
On April 2, WRGB TV in Albany, N.Y., announced that in return for bogus coronavirus tests, scammers claiming to be from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) were taking money and insurance details from individuals. One woman told police that she had a fake test in a Little League parking lot at a drive-up spot.
North Greenbush police said the scammers described themselves as being with NYSDOH and obtained information from several individuals about money and insurance. Police and state officials said that in the parking lot, the DOH had no connection to the collection site.
Lessons for Laboratories
The message from these stories is to be vigilant of strangers providing COVID-19 testing for clinical laboratory directors and all clinical laboratory scientists, while also making sure to post information on the legitimacy of your laboratory's rapid molecular and serological tests to customers. Doing so could entail presenting evidence that the FDA has approved the coronavirus to be used for your studies.
Medical laboratories should also ensure that proper identification is demonstrated by all workers collecting specimens in public places.
"Is the Coronavirus a scam"? - Teacher Asks Students on Quiz
The Correct Answer Was True on The Quiz
‘Is the coronavirus a scam?’ School science quiz question leads to pushback for Texas teacher. A Texas school district is under fire after an online quiz question posed to junior high students.
A science teacher at Pearland Junior High East asked her students, “Is the coronavirus a scam?” according to a post on the Parents in Pearland Independent School District Facebook page. The answer “True” was shown as the correct answer on the quiz.
The question was part of a quiz meant to familiarize students with their new online system, according to an email from the school principal posted on Facebook. The principal sent a similar statement to KPRC and added an explanation.
“The teacher’s intent was to spark conversation,” Principal Charles Allen told the TV station. “It was not to imply the virus is not serious or to make any political stance. The question has since been taken down.”
Most parents on the Facebook group for the Houston-area school district did not feel the question was an appropriate one to ask the students.
Beware of this Fake COVID-19 Tracking App
Mobile phone tracking applications are now often encouraged or even mandatory to use in many countries, and therefore have a high number of users. With that, many malicious applications resembling official versions of these tracking applications have begun to appear. Mostly, with the intention to steal sensitive information from users.
With the sudden spread of COVID-19, the need for some tools that would help trace contact between people quickly arose. The purpose of tracking applications is to use smartphones as a tool to track interactions between people in order to provide information to users if they have come in contact or have been in close proximity, to a person confirmed positive of infection with the virus.
Here is a link to more detail.
Contact Tracing Legitimate or a Scam?
You’ve probably been hearing a lot about contact tracing. It’s the process of identifying people who have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, instructing them to quarantine and monitoring their symptoms daily.
If you’re contacted about possible exposure to the coronavirus, make sure it’s legit. Scammers are masquerading as contact tracers, and it’s smart to verify calls or texts before giving out any information.
A tracer’s job is to help contain the pandemic by reaching out to people who may be spreading the coronavirus. You could be called because your test was positive. Or perhaps someone who tested positive named you as someone they’d been in contact with, and now you need to be tested.
Scammers read the news, too, and are trying to capitalize on tracing campaigns. They’ve even made calls appear to come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And yet actual tracers can’t do their work if we won’t pick up the phone.
Contact tracers are usually hired by a state’s department of public health. They work with an infected person to get the names and phone numbers for everyone that infected person came in close contact with while the possibly infectious. Those names and phone numbers are often kept in an online system. People who had contact with someone infected with COVID-19 may first get a text message from the health department, telling them they’ll get a call from a specific number. The tracer who calls will not ask for personal information, like a Social Security number. At the end of the call, some states ask if the contact would like to enroll in a text message program, which sends daily health and safety reminders until the 14-day quarantine ends. But tracers won’t ask you for money or information like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card number. Anyone who does is a scammer.
New Rental Scams Targeting People Looking For Places To Live
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) said it’s seen a 10% increase in rental scams where fraudsters trick renters into believing they have a unit to rent.
“I recently got scammed out of $2,000 trying to rent an apartment,” she said on the video.
It started last month, when she needed a new apartment.
She found an apartment through an online rental site Zillow. The landlord told her he wasn’t showing the apartment in person, due to coronavirus. Instead he showed her pictures.
Eisenstein signed a lease and paid the landlord $2,200 through a bank transfer.
But when she showed up at the apartment, she learned it was all a scam.
They swipe apartment images from other online listings. The names, pictures, even real estate license numbers that the landlord uses -- those are all stolen, too.
The Better Business Bureau agrees and says here are some red flags that a rental may not be legit.
- The supposed landlord won’t show the unit in person.
- They want you to wire money or pay cash.
- They offer a below-market price.
- They want to rent the unit quickly.
Email Blackmail Alert - "Pay Up or We’ll Infect Your Family"
According to a sensitive law enforcement document reviewed by The Daily Beast—headlined ‘Scams and Fraud Campaigns Exploiting COVID 19 Likely to Continue,’ and dated April 20—“the pandemic has created an environment ripe for fraudulent activity with threat actors leveraging fears of the virus to perpetrate a variety of malicious and criminal exploitation.”The confidential NYPD briefing document goes on to state that “threat actors around the world have flooded the internet with COVID-19 themed phishing scams in attempts to capitalize on fears of the virus for financial gain.”
“The blackmail scam has been less successful because... it is a little more far-fetched but it’s playing on people’s fears,” Miller added. “The bad guys buy the names and passwords in bulk from the dark web, so if you send out 300,000 of these emails you only need a few people to fall for it to make a nice profit for very little investment.”The COVID-19 scam that has concerned police is based on a “porn-extortion” fraud from 2019. In that scam, which law enforcement sources say was very successful, potential victims were sent an email with their username and password. The sender would write, “now that I have your attention I need to tell you I have access to all your accounts and your passwords, as well as the kind of material you’ve been looking at.”
“The email goes on to imply that the target has been caught looking at all kinds of porn sites and other disgusting material and that the writer of the email has been able to access the users WebCam and record video from the camera as well as screen and now has split screen recordings of the material,” the NYPD official told The Daily Beast.
As it turns out, it’s all a bluff! Fraudsters never have access to the victim’s WebCam, iPad or computer but why the scam is such a success is the victim has no way of knowing for sure they have not been compromised, and the fact the conman has their email and password gives the scammer credibility in the mind of the victim.
The COVID-19 fraud the NYPD now has on its radar is a new twist on the “porn-extortion” scam and the intelligence document states, “based on the researched dataset, this type of fraud has had limited success.” It’s unclear how the criminals would be able to carry out their callous threats.
"The reason to talk about it is so that people will recognize it if they get one of these," Miller said referring to emails from scam artists. "They also need to know this person has not hacked their computer, hasn’t had access to all their information, and that the fraud depends on people believing that those claims are true”
Scammers typically gain a person’s email and password from websites that have been hacked such as the Capital One data breach and where user credentials from the site were posted on the Internet. Criminals, legitimate security researchers, and others can access those password dumps on hacking forums, illicit dark web markets, or file-sharing sites.
As far as this COVID-19 blackmail scam goes, the simple advice for anyone who is targeted. “The only correct thing to do is delete it. There’s no value in interacting with the sender. You should delete it and reset your passwords.
Top 10 Coronavirus Scams
Top 10 most common scams and frauds include:
- Economic Impact Payment (Stimulus Check): Scammers pretend to be government officials offering false economic impact payments (stimulus checks) in order to obtain personal identifying information including social security and bank account numbers.
- Diagnosis Testing Scams: Scammers offer fake COVID-19 testing kits, particularly door-to-door.
- Treatment/Cure Scams: Scammers offer fake or unproven treatment regimens that are particularly dangerous because they have the potential to do more harm than good.
- Charity Scams: Virtually every time there is a disaster or emergency, scammers set up fake charities to solicit donations that they then spend on themselves.
- Overinflated prices: The Coalition will use every tool available to hold sellers accountable who unlawfully use the COVID-19 pandemic to unreasonably inflate prices.
- Investment Scams: Scammers make false claims about tests, cures and other matters related to COVID-19 in order to entice victims to make investment decisions based on those false claims that allow the scammer to steal money and assets from Delawareans.
- Email Scams: Scammers send victims emails related to COVID-19 that appear to be from the victims’ banks, health care providers, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others for the purpose of obtaining the victims’ personal identifying information and exploiting it for the scammers’ own benefit.
- App Scams: Scammers are creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users’ devices and personal information.
- Insurance, Workers’ Compensation and Medicaid Fraud: Businesses and government agencies are not immune to scams. They should also be vigilant to ensure scammers do not take advantage of their businesses or customers during this pandemic.
- Scams specifically targeted at seniors: Seniors are more vulnerable than ever to common scams like the Grandparent Scam and Government Imposter Scams. Consumers receiving a call or any contact claiming that loved ones are in danger or hurt, that they owe money and failure to pay will result in their arrest or other harm, or that their benefits are in jeopardy, do not act. Contact your loved ones or the purported agency using known, trusted contact information not sourced from the suspicious communication.
FBI Has Stopped Hundreds of Online Scams
For example, the cooperative effort has been disrupted:
- An illicit website pretending to solicit and collect donations to the American Red Cross for COVID-19 relief efforts.
- Fraudulent websites that spoofed government programs and organizations tricked American citizens into entering personally identifiable information, including banking details.
- Websites of legitimate companies and services that were used to facilitate the distribution or control of malicious software.
As a further example, shortly after the IRS notified the public of web links to apply for the COVID-19 related stimulus payments, the FBI identified a number of look-alike IRS stimulus payment domains. These look-alike domains are often indicative of future phishing schemes and in order to minimize the potential fraudulent use of the these domains, the FBI alerted numerous domain registries and registrars to the existence of these look-alike URLs.
“The department will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement and private sector partners to combat online COVID-19 related crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We commend the responsible internet companies that are taking swift action to prevent their resources from being used to exploit this pandemic.”
The Justice Department is also working to provide COVID-19 related training and technical assistance in other countries through the International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) program. In one Justice Department-supported action, a state prosecutor in Brazil took down a fake site purporting to belong to a leading Brazilian brewery. The website publicized the distribution of free sanitizer, but in fact was infecting the computer systems of numerous Brazilian consumers with malware. The ICHIP-mentored prosecutor further requested that the site’s U.S.-based registrar suspend it and preserve any account and transactional data linked to the site. The investigation is ongoing, and the ICHIP continues to mentor the prosecutor remotely on this case and on best practices for engaging with U.S. registrars and providers. Similar activities are planned in other regions with ICHIP attorneys. Learn more about the Criminal Division’s ICHIP Program, jointly administered by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, here.
Numerous Justice Department components are working to combat COVID-19 related crime nationwide. For a list of department efforts, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/news.
Scams Are So Bad The FTC Made A Bingo Card
Things have gotten so bad that the FTC has experimented with other ways to get people to pay attention: like a scam bingo card. So far in 2020, the FTC has seen 7,800 Coronavirus complaints as of April 1, 2020. As soon as Government restrictions were put into place the scam complaints were coming in at several thousand per week.
Most of the country in quarantine advised to practice social distancing measures, the risk of scams has spiked. Already, Coronavirus related robocalls have gotten worse as scammers have pivoted to use fear and isolation to their advantage.
The FTC has already slapped companies on the wrist for misrepresenting products with false claims about how they can treat coronavirus. It has also warned nine internet phone companies (VoIP) to stop “assisting and facilitating” illegal coronavirus telemarketing.
However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of robocalls and malware — two of the most critical vectors for scammers and fraudsters targeting individuals, according to the ID Theft Center.
The FTC’s current data say that total losses are around $4.77 million, with a reported median loss of $598.
Aristides Pereira, a spokesperson for the District of Columbia, told Yahoo Finance, that the District’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking has found 14 cases of fraudulent financial activity related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many people – especially older Americans, who are more likely to be scammed – don’t report fraud because they’re embarrassed they got duped. So these numbers are likely to be far higher.
There are all sorts of frauds from “banks,” “governments,” and more. It’s even more complicated because some municipalities use robocalls to get information to their residents, like school closings. But there are a few things to know when it comes to money-related things.
The FTC has already slapped companies on the wrist for misrepresenting products with false claims about how they can treat coronavirus. It has also warned nine internet phone companies (VoIP) to stop “assisting and facilitating” illegal coronavirus telemarketing.
However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of robocalls and malware — two of the most critical vectors for scammers and fraudsters targeting individuals, according to the ID Theft Center.
The FTC’s current data say that total losses are around $4.77 million, with a reported median loss of $598.
Aristides Pereira, a spokesperson for the District of Columbia, told Yahoo Finance, that the District’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking has found 14 cases of fraudulent financial activity related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many people – especially older Americans, who are more likely to be scammed – don’t report fraud because they’re embarrassed they got duped. So these numbers are likely to be far higher.
There are all sorts of frauds from “banks,” “governments,” and more. It’s even more complicated because some municipalities use robocalls to get information to their residents, like school closings. But there are a few things to know when it comes to money-related things.
Here are some tips:
- No bank will ever call you or email you for information.
- Don’t send money to someone else if someone sends you money and asks you to pass it on.
- Don’t be a victim to “urgent” requests. Evaluate & think before you act
- Only transact with businesses you trust.
- Report fraud.
Coronavirus Payments Are Vulnerable To Fraud
"I was a little shocked
to see that," Krebs told NPR. "There were a number of things that
they requested, but very few things that were required. And the only thing that
I could tell that were required were name, date of birth, social security
number, address — and then you had to have a phone number... That was pretty
scary to me."
"There were 390,000 cases that the IRS inspector general found of fraudulent access to that system," Chapple says. "So now fast forward five years and we're using an even weaker system to control access, not just to information, but to payments." Read the full article here. List of Companies & Products Receiving FDA Warning Letters
See the full list here.
| Firm Name | Product Name and Image1 |
| Santiste Labs LLC | “DefendTM Patch” |
| Hopewell Essential Oils | Essential oils and herbal products |
| Prefense LLC | Prefense Hand Sanitizers |
| Copper Touch, LLC | "Sani-Bar GK95External Link Disclaimer” and “Sani-Disc GK95DExternal Link Disclaimer” |
| Nova Botanix LTD DBA CanaBD | CBD products |
| The Art Of Cure | Homeopathic drug products |
| Earth Angel Oils | Essential oil productsExternal Link Disclaimer |
| Gaia Arise Farms Apothecary | “True Viral Defense,” also referred to as “Viral Defense Tincture” |
| The GBS dba Alpha Arogya India Pvt Ltd | Ayurvedic products (“Alpha 11” and “Alpha 21”) |
| Herbs of Kedem | Herbal products |
| Free Speech Systems LLC d.b.a. Infowars.com | “Superblue Silver Immune GargleExternal Link Disclaimer,” “SuperSilver Whitening ToothpasteExternal Link Disclaimer,” “SuperSilver Wound Dressing Gel” and “Superblue Fluoride Free ToothpasteExternal Link Disclaimer” |
| Earthley Wellness dba Modern Alternative Mama LLC | Herbal tinctures and herbal remedy products |
| Genesis 2 Church | Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) (chlorine dioxide)External Link Disclaimer |
| NRP Organics Ltd | "Fortify Humic Beverage ConcentrateExternal Link Disclaimer” and “Electrify Fulvic Beverage ConcentrateExternal Link Disclaimer” |
| CBD Online Store | Cannabidiol (CBD) products |
| Savvy Holistic Health dba Holistic Healthy Pet | "China Oral Nosode,” also called “China Corona Nosode," and the “CV Respiratory Kit,” under the description “AN330 – CORONA VIRAL IMMUNE SUPPORT AND/OR ACTIVE RESPIRATORY INFECTION FOR ALL AGES” |
| Ananda, LLC DBA Ananda Apothecary | Essential oil products |
| Alternative Health Experts LLC DBA Immunization Alternatives | Homeopathic drugs and dietary supplement products |
| Cathay Natural, LLC | Herbal products including "CoronaDefender Herbal Sachet-S" |
| Native Roots Hemp | Cannabidiol (CBD) products |
| Indigo Naturals | Cannabidiol (CBD) products |
| Homeomart Indibuy | Homeopathic drugs |
| Gaia's Whole Healing Essentials, LLC | Colloidal silver products |
| Health Mastery Systems DBA Pure Plant Essentials | Essential oil products |
| Neuro XPF | Cannabidiol (CBD) products |
| Halosense Inc. | Salt therapy products |
| JRB Enterprise Group Inc. DBA Anti Aging Bed | Colloidal silver products |
| Bioactive C60/FullerLifeC60 LLC | "FullerLifeC60External Link Disclaimer" |
| Corona-cure.com | Corona-Cure Coronavirus Infection Prevention Nasal Spray |
| Carahealth | Herbal products, including "Carahealth Immune" also referred to as "Immune Tonic" |
| Xephyr LLC dba N-ergetics | Colloidal silver products, including Colloidal Silver 1100 PPMExternal Link Disclaimer |
| GuruNanda, LLC | Essential oil products |
| Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd | Essential oil products |
| Vivify Holistic Clinic | Formula #1External Link Disclaimer, Formula #2External Link Disclaimer, Formula #3External Link Disclaimer, and Eupatorium perfoliatum (Boneset)External Link Disclaimer |
| Colloidal Vitality LLC | Products labeled to contain silver |
| The Jim Bakker Show | Silver Sol LiquidExternal Link Disclaimer and products labeled to contain silver |
| Herbal Amy Inc. | Coronavirus ProtocolExternal Link Disclaimer (Coronavirus Boneset Tea, Coronavirus Cell Protection, Coronavirus Core tincture, Coronavirus Immune System, and Elderberry Tincture) |
Report a website that you think is illegally selling human drugs, animal drugs, medical devices, biological products, foods, dietary supplements or cosmetics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts (All Time)
-
Table of Contents Introduction: Stress, Smoking, and Health The Normotim Effect: A New Hope in Stress Management Lithium Ascorbate:...
-
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been linked to mental health issues related to disease-induced morbidity and mortality and p... -
A group of virologists in February 2020 published a letter in The Lancet stating they “overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus origina...
-
Former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski has confirmed that an email published in the New York Post's bombshell exposé is i... -
SAMPLE LETTER BELOW 🚨🚨🚨 The secret is NOT to refuse the Jabb.... From a lawyer: If you are being forced to Vax in order to keep your job,...
-
The time is now. As most readers of this substack are now well aware, this is not just about COVID. The Constitution hangs in the balance. P... -
Comment to ACIP meeting of August 30, 2021 submitted by Steve Kirsch - Executive Director of the COVID-19 Early Treatment Fund stk@treatearl... -
Klaus Schwab's World Economic Forum Government & WHO Lies Tucker & Malone Discuss The World Economic Forum & It's Young ...
-
2 Sources for this story below . . . Justin Bieber reveals he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome Twitter suspended the VaccineTruth2 account Want to ... -
Crimes Against Humanity - The PCR Test Fraud and COVID-19 will be the Case of the Century Reiner Fuellmich - Update on Court Case & P...
