COVID-19 Fraud and Scams

With every crisis that arises in our country, there are always con artists waiting on the sidelines to take advantage of the public. They believe it is their job to use each crisis as an opportunity to make money off the unsuspecting public. Since the pandemic crisis arose, they have been using COVID-19 to cash in…

When COVID-19 first appeared last year, counterfeit N95 masks were being massed produced and peddled to unsuspecting consumers, which placed themselves and their families at greater risk once they used the fake items.

As panic seeped in about the virus causing hospitalization and death, con artists appeared overnight selling phony sprays that would kill the virus on contact. When the health industry and government opened testing sites, the fraudsters took it to a new level as they set their sights on creating phony virus testing kits, while also advertising and soliciting payments for phony testing site appointments that ended up being appointments to nowhere. They did not stop there as they began selling vaccines on the internet. Yes, untested products from Mexico or a third world country that were not FDA or CDC approved were being bought by consumers who saw this a s a short cut. As the con artists set their sights on their next group of consumers to trick out of their money, the new fraud being perpetuated is phony vaccination cards that are being peddled on the internet. The only purpose these phony vaccine cards serve is to put the entire public health at risk.

Who among us are willing to put the rest of the community at risk with a phony vaccination card? With vaccine sites all around us, such as Mercedes Benz, which has made walk up vaccinations, without an appointment, available to the public, why settle for a phony card? Health experts and the government also caution those who are celebrating their vaccination by placing photos of it online. This card has your name, date of birth, and other personal information that can be stolen and misused, so avoid marking the occasion in this manner.

These are just a few of the many successful scams that are occurring around the COVID-19 virus. The reason these con artists and their cons are so successful is that there are always people willing to take short cuts or wanting to get something for half price, which wounds up being worthless in the end. When it comes to this virus, if it sounds too good to be true, it is not. If someone tells you that they can get you a vaccine at half price, run for the hills. And if they tell you, they can sell you a phony vaccination card, take the opportunity to ask them WHY. If you feel comfortable, take the opportunity to educate them on why what they are doing are harming innocent people and jeopardizing our collective public health.

This short story may not stop the next con artist from taking advantage of their next unsuspecting victim, but if this can aid just a few people in protecting themselves from fraudsters, then sharing the information has been worth it.

Moral of the day, do not take a short cut when it comes to the COVID-19 Virus. If you want to get tested, do so at a reputable testing site, get your vaccine at a reputable location, and do not buy anything off the internet that claims to protect you at a discounted price.

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