Please exercise caution with any communications you receive regarding Coronavirus (COVID- 19). Scammers commonly use widespread health alerts and natural disasters as opportunities to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or making “charitable” contributions. These scams may occur via email, phone calls, social media updates, text messages, web pop-ups or by in-person contact.
With respect to communications you receive, please be advised/reminded of the following:
- Phone numbers and email addresses can be spoofed, so communications may appear to be coming from a trusted source when they’re not.
- Never open unexpected attachments, even in a message from someone that you know.
- Do not click embedded links in emails you’re not expecting. These links may appear as typed URLs, as clickable buttons or typed text, e.g., “click here”. If you have an account with an entity that sends you an embedded link, visit their website via a trusted URL that you type into your browser’s address bar to take the requested action.
- Never provide sensitive or confidential information over email or to callers.
- Avoid charity scams by reading the following FTC tip sheet before you donate.
- Seek updates via legitimate government websites, such as https://www.cdc.gov/.
- To confirm the legitimacy of a communication, contact the sender/caller via a trusted means of communication, such as a phone number that you’ve obtained from an organization’s website.