A fake U.S. Treasury website and fake testimonials — a new COVID-19 scam targets seniors
A COVID-19 scam uses promises of money for staying home to target senior citizens’ financial information, a consumer alert from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warns.
The dressing that disguises the scam is a faux U.S. Treasury website and false testimonial videos. Despite the shutdown of the imitation government website, there’s a chance that it has popped up elsewhere.
The recently disabled website address is https://usafederalgrantclaim.wixsite.com/grantinfo. Anyone who provided information and payments after visiting the site should contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Moody blames “an international criminal organization.”
“These criminals are hacking Facebook accounts to send messages to targets from a friend’s profile, creating the illusion that the grant program is being promoted by an acquaintance,” Moody explained. “Once contact is made, the criminals request personal information, bank account numbers and insurance payments purportedly to help ensure the safe delivery of thousands of dollars in federal grant money, and of course, the money is never sent.
“Please know that the federal government is not contacting seniors and offering them grant money to stay home and stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Those who sent information or money after going to https://usafederagrantclaim.wixsite.com/grantinfo can call Moody’s office at 866-9NO-SCAM (866-966-7226).
Tips for avoiding scams such as this:
▪ The homepages for U.S. Government websites end in “.gov.”
▪ If you’re asked to give money to get money you’re owed, it’s a scam. If you’re asked to give money via gift cards, it’s a scam. That’s like being asked to pay with a McDonald’s gift certificate.
▪ COVID-19 offers via Facebook? Check them out thoroughly, even if friends appear to be involved. Accounts can be hacked or duplicated.
▪ Don’t click on links in unsolicited messages, especially from people you rarely hear from or who rarely send you links.
▪ Messages with a lot of misspellings, bad grammar or really strange word usage often indicate foreign scammers having a tough time with American English.
