Beware of coronavirus scams

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is warning people to not fall from some new, and old, scams that are making the rounds.

As reported on NJSpotlight.com, some of the scams include things like posing as the CDC in an attempt to steal personal information from unwitting consumers, especially the elderly. The requests often come in via email with a link to click on. Don’t do it if you don’t recognize the sender. You may be told you need to subject yourself to mandatory testing, again, with a link.

They also warn against bogus charities and crowd funding attempts that are just brazen grabs for cash. Another one that is becoming common is a fake email that says you have to give up personal financial information in order to receive your federal stimulus check.

Consumer Affairs is also reminding people not to fall for the “grandparents scam” which has now been updated to add a coronavirus twist: you’ll get a message (email or phone call) saying a loved one is sick with COVID-19 and you need to send money in the form of gift cards, of course.

There is a fraud hotline set up to report these scams: National Center for Disaster Fraud’s National Hotline (866) 720-5721.