From Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia:
“We need your personal information so we can send you a test kit for the coronavirus,” says no valid health services anywhere in the US. Consumers need to be careful of unsolicited texts, email, phone calls, and also websites, touting coronavirus prevention products and awareness tips, says the BBB Serving Central Virginia: Start With Trust.
“The underbelly of society–scammers who use valid health crises to rip people off will try to get to your money by gaining your personal information. The scammer might further sell your information to the ‘dark web’ for others to do the same to you with different scams,” says Barry N. Moore, President of BBB serving Central Virginia. “Don’t fall for it,” Moore added.
The US Centers for Disease Control have already begun shipping coronavirus test kits to more than 100 US public health labs around the US. Initially 200 test kits, which have 800 individual patients’ tests in each kit, will be distributed to US domestic labs, and another 200 kits will be distributed to selected international labs, with more being ordered as well, says the CDC.
“This is the beginning of what could be a long response. Right now, we’re aggressively intervening to contain introduction into the United States. If community spread in the US is established, we’ll implement broader measures to mitigate the impact of the virus on our communities,” the CDC added.
Free information on the virus, the outbreak and preventive measures is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
BBB offers the following advice to avoid coronavirus-related scams:
- Avoid opening email from an unknown source. Delete the email. If you suspect it’s a possible scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker.
- Disregard online offers for vaccinations against coronavirus because a vaccine does not exist. For more information on the virus go to the CDC’s website at cdc.gov.
- Ensure your computer antivirus and anti-malware programs are up-to-date. If your computer becomes infected as the result of a spam email about coronavirus, you can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
About BBB: BBB serving Central Virginia serves Richmond, the Tri-Cities, Charlottesville, and Fredericksburg, as well as 42 surrounding counties from Fauquier to Mecklenburg and Northumberland to Amherst. The nonprofit organization was established in 1954 to advance responsible, honest, and ethical business practices and to promote customer confidence through self-regulation of business. Core services of BBB include business profiles, dispute resolution, truth-in advertising, consumer and business education, and charity review.
