US Attorney warns of COVID-19 fraud schemes

CONCORD — The public is urged to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 1-866-720-5721, e-mail disaster@leo.gov, or to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

“During this national emergency, a small number of cruel and self-serving individuals are seeking to profit from the public’s fear of COVID-19,” U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray of the District of New Hampshire said in a statement. “There are reports of fraudsters selling counterfeit products and fake cures or setting up malicious websites in order to take advantage of people who are attempting to protect themselves from the virus.”

Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said, “With the outbreak of COVID-19, scammers have found a platform that preys on people’s fears and could make them more likely to be victimized. We want you to help us stop these fraudsters by reporting suspicious activity, fraud, and attempted fraud at ic3.gov. We also want you to avoid falling prey to these scams, so don’t click on links within emails from senders you don’t recognize, always independently verify the information originates from a legitimate source, never supply your login credentials or financial data in response to an email, and visit websites by inputting their domains manually. By working together, we can help stop this type of activity.”

Examples of fraudulent schemes related to COVID-19 are individuals and businesses selling fake cures for COVID-19 online; phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; malicious websites and apps that appear to share Coronavirus-related information to gain and lock access to your devices until payment is received; and seeking donations for illegitimate or non-existent charitable organizations. They also may pose as medical providers obtaining patient information for COVID-19 testing and then using that information to fraudulently bill for other tests and procedures.

In a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys issued on March 19, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen directed each U.S. Attorney to appoint a coronavirus fraud coordinator to serve as the legal counsel for the federal judicial district on matters relating to the coronavirus, to direct the prosecution of coronavirus-related crimes, and to conduct outreach and awareness activities.

The District of New Hampshire coronavirus fraud coordinator is Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hunter, who may be reached through the main number at the U.S. Attorney’s Office: 603-225-1552. He can enter complaints into a centralized system that can be accessed by all U.S. Attorneys, as well as those in the Justice Department, to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud schemes.

For more information, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.