COVID scams: how to avoid getting scammed by cybercriminals

CHICAGO (WLS) – COVID-19-related scams are costing Americans millions, recent data shows.

More than 588 million dollars missing! The number is mind-boggling.

This is how much Americans have lost to COVID-19 scams according to Federal Trade Commission data since early 2020.

RELATED: Scammers Targeting People Who Got COVID-19 Vaccine

Cybersecurity group BrandShield has said it is wary of any website, social media page or ad asking for an upfront payment for the vaccine. It is a scam because the vaccine is free.

Don’t click any links in suspicious emails, texts, and direct social media messages as many are using pandemic fears to prey on people.

If you have an upcoming booking for a flight or hotel and you receive an email or text letting you know it has been canceled due to COVID, beware, too. It could be a scam asking you to provide financial details so that you can get a refund.

RELATED: The Biggest Scams Targeting Your Wallet

When in doubt, always go directly to the company’s websites.

Cyber ​​criminals have fake websites selling vaccines. There are bogus post-vaccination surveys, spoofed emails from travel agencies asking for personal information in order to reimburse COVID-related cancellations, and even crazy products for sale, such as ‘vaccine hard seltzers’.

What to watch out for to avoid falling prey:

The vaccine is free in the United States, so any website, social media page, or ad asking for an upfront payment for the vaccine is a scam.

As we begin to talk about when the booster shots will be available, this trend of scammers seeking payment for the vaccine is likely to reoccur.

In the United States, there is no national vaccination check, so any email, text, or social media advertisement asking for your personal information in order to obtain a vaccination certificate or national passport is a scam. .

If you have an upcoming booking for a flight or hotel and you receive an email or text telling you that it has been canceled and you will need to provide financial information in order to get a refund, this is probably a scam.

It is best to go to the official website of the airline or hotel (without clicking on the links in the cancellation text / email) and call them directly to verify the authenticity of the message.

Avoid buying COVID drugs from online marketplaces. Instead, follow official medical channels to make sure you’re not being sold something that could be dangerous.

Be sure to check a website’s domain name (EX: www.xyz.com) carefully when sharing personal or financial information online. Often times, scammers create “look-alike” websites that look a lot like genuine websites, but have one or a few offset letters in the domain name.