Bureau of Consumer Protection asks not to be fooled by cures for coronaviruses without scientific validity. (Pixabay)
Photo:
Renato Laky / Pixabay
Scammers work overtime during the pandemic, offering cures and treatments for coronavirus and cancer without scientific evidence, so the Consumer Protection Bureau (FTC) asks Latinos to report the scams.
“Fraud has not increased this season. What we are seeing is that the way of cheating has changed. Scam artists are using the fear of COVID-19 and promise help with money, cures and treatments ”said attorney Monica Vaca, deputy director of the Consumer Response Division of the Consumer Protection Bureau (FTS)
During the conference “Coronavirus scams, how to avoid them, and resources to deal with the financial impact of the pandemic”, organized by Ethnic Media Services, attorneys Mónica Vaca and Rosario Méndez of the FTC, announced that during this health crisis, 45,623 complaints have been filed and $ 33.84 million fraud has been committed.
The most common ways of scams are through:
- websites
- emails
- fake text messages
Scammers also follow the money, posing as government officials to steal checks from the Tax Collection Service (IRS).
But they also try to scam small businesses by telling them they can get loans.
Specifically, ask them not to click on unknown sources or false messages on WhatsApp that promise money for people in quarantine at home.
Scammers do their best to make your messages real. For example, they use logos of the president of the United States to make their messages appear to be related to the government. ”
However, the specialist ensures that the federal government does not communicate by phone, text message, social networks or emails on issues related to the payment of the federal stimulus.
It is known that the FTS filed a lawsuit for certain treatments to stop being promoted as effective in preventing COVID-19 and cancer. "We have sent letters to multilevel companies that lied about the income they can earn, and offered products without scientific evidence," he emphasizes.
How to protect yourself
The FTC recommends that before giving money, stop and talk to someone you trust. "This will make it less likely that they will rip you off."
But above all, it urges the Latino community to file complaints with the FTC / gov / complaint; And pFor more information on what they are doing about COVID-19, ask them to visit: FTC.gov/coronavirus.
“Although when we make a complaint, we don't ask if the person is Latino, not many complaints come in Spanish, but when we analyze them, we realize that Latinos are not reporting like other communities. "
It shows that at this time of health crisis, any segment of the population is exposed to fraud. “We are all more vulnerable. Sometimes we worry about granny, but not about ourselves, thinking that we are not going to fall. And that's how people lose money. "
In the Latino community, there are all kinds of fraud. “They are the same scams that we see in the community in general as government impostors or someone who calls you to tell you that you have a debt. In the case of Latinos, the scam related to immigration services is more visible. ”
It is important to report fraud – he insists – because in many cases they manage to return the money to the victims after filing a lawsuit. "In addition, doing so helps their community," he says.
Last year they returned $ 232 million.
It also recommends staying alerts about the websites through which products such as masks are purchased and after two weeks do not arrive. “When they go to see what is happening, that web page no longer exists. The advice is that if you are going to place an order on a website, first go to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if that business exists. ”
