What to Watch For...?
- … ads, bogus websites, direct mail, email and social media promoting herbs, oils, pills, powders, supplements and/or teas with miracle properties to cure chronic diseases, ease pain, melt away pounds, ward off infection — and nowadays to prevent, treat, or cure coronavirus.
- … companies offering oils, creams, and medications without a prescription.
- … scammers impersonating federal health agencies since they are phishing to get your personal information.
- … email links to a fake map that will deploy malicious software on your device that will steal your login credentials or your bank account information.
- … phony websites with “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” in their URLs.
What to Do?
- Be skeptical. If a claim to a product sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Avoid emails “supposedly” coming from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention and/or the World Health Organization.
- Visit the actual websites by typing cdc.gov or who.int in your browser to obtain reliable and up-to-date information.
- Don’t open attachments or click on links of unsolicited emails or texts about medical products or global health emergency.
- Report scams to the Complaint Department of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or to the State Attorney General.
