FTC releases numbers behind COVID-19 scam reports Posted by AVCU on 8:18 AM

The Federal Trade Commission has been tracking the onset of pandemic-related schemes since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic began, and released a report featuring information they’ve received from consumers. Lead Data Analyst Paul Witt notes in the FTC’s blog that reports range from emails/calls/texts pledging assistance in securing Economic Impact Payments to websites selling bogus protective equipment.

“If you’re getting calls, emails, or texts, or you’re seeing ads or offers online, keep a few things in mind: First, the government will never call out of the blue to ask for money or your personal information (like Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers),” Witt writes. “And second, anyone who tells you to pay by Western Union or Money Gram, or by putting money on a gift card, is a scammer. The government and legit businesses will never tell you to pay that way.”

The FTC’s analysts provide updates every weekday on FTC’s Explore Data homepage.

Highlights from recent reports include:

• From Jan. 1 through April 15, the FTC has gotten 18,235 reports related to COVID-19, and people reported losing $13.44 million dollars to fraud;
• The top complaint categories relate to travel and vacations, online shopping, bogus text messages, and all kinds of imposters;
• While reports of robocalls are way down overall, FTC is hearing about callers invoking the COVID-19 pandemic to pretend to be from the government, or making illegal medical or health care pitches, among other topics;
• The big states have, not unexpectedly, the biggest number of reports. State-by-state reporting is available here.

FTC also urges consumers to continue reporting scams to ftc.gov/complaint.