{"id":8075,"date":"2020-04-14T06:47:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T10:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tsisupport.com\/?p=8075"},"modified":"2021-08-09T05:59:23","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T09:59:23","slug":"covid-19-scams-are-already-popping-up-everywhere-heres-how-to-beat-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tsisupport.com\/tsistaging\/?p=8075","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Yourself Online: How to Beat Covid-19 Scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to data recently released by the Federal Trade Commission,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0consumers have already lost about $5.85 million to various Coronavirus related schemes ALONE and likely don\u2019t include those that haven\u2019t been reported to the agency. With a costly $600 average loss per instance, it\u2019s a seemingly lucrative tactic that does not appear to be going away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it should come as no surprise that there is no shortage of malicious actors out there trying to take advantage of this unprecedented pandemic and exploit people\u2019s anxieties to fulfill their means. All too many times, we’ve seen what can happen when one brief lapse of judgment can result in irreparable damage and our goal is to ensure that this does NOT happen to you!<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last few weeks, I’ve made a concerted effort to stay ahead of these Coronavirus related scams and luckily, they\u2019re just as easily avoided as much as any other phishing\/vishing-like attempt. As I always say, you can’t necessarily prevent yourself from becoming the target of a scammer – especially during a situation like this one, but what you CAN do is prevent yourself from becoming a victim, which is exactly what I want to help address today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Major COVID-19 Scams to Be Aware Of<\/b><\/h5>\n

One of the most common Coronavirus-related scams that we\u2019ve seen over the last few weeks is a student loan callback scam. It’s actually a variant on a scam a lot of you may have experienced in the past, where you receive a voicemail from someone claiming to be able to help you dramatically decrease (or even totally eliminate) your student loans. A friendly voice will claim that thanks to the Coronavirus outbreak, new measures have been enacted that will positively impact your future payment obligations. All you have to do is call the number back and provide them with some basic information which they\u2019ll likely use to steal your identity or commit some other type of financial fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the same lines, there’s also a Social Security scam that you should be aware of – especially if you’re taking care of older relatives that have some type of existing relationship with the SSA. Here, you’ll get a voicemail letting you know that due to Coronavirus, the victim’s Social Security payments are being suspended within the next 24 hours due to “suspicious and fraudulent activity.” You’ll be directed to call a number to “discuss this critical matter that needs your urgent attention”… at which point you’ll again be asked to hand over as much personal information as possible to people who ultimately only want to do you harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

But believe it or not, some scams are even more brazen than the ones I just outlined. There are two in particular that seem to be running rampant over the last few weeks:<\/span><\/p>\n