The Federal Government has received numerous reports of COVID-19 related scam and hoax text messages, fake emails and scam robocalls offering free home testing kits, promoting cures & vaccines, selling health insurance, Medicare offers and fake charity drives. All of which are scams.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will never contact you offering home testing kits, cures or vaccines nor will they call requesting personal information from you. There is currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19 and testing is only performed by a health care worker at a COVID-19 testing site or hospital. Also, no one from Medicare will contact you offering COVID-19 related products, offers or benefits.
In addition, the IRS is warning people about fraudulent stimulus check related scams. The IRS will never contact you by phone, email, text message, or social media with information about your stimulus payment, or to ask you for your Social Security number, Medicare number, bank account information, government benefits debit card account number or asking you to pay a fee to receive your check.
Hang up on calls and delete emails & texts that are suspicious. If you respond, they might ask you for money or personal information. Remember to NEVER give out your personal information, bank information, Social Security number or Medicare number and NEVER send cash, checks, gift cards, wire money or give out credit card information to anyone or any organization that you are unsure about.
If you think you are a victim of a fraud or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or by email at disaster@leo.gov. If it is a cyber scam (internet related scam), submit your complaint through www.ic3.gov