Avoid Coronavirus Scams
- Learn how to tell the difference between a real contact tracer and a scammer. Legitimate tracers need health information, not money or personal financial information.
- Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government. Here’s what you need to know.
- Ignore offers for vaccinations and miracle treatments or cures. Scammers are selling products to treat or prevent COVID-19 without proof that they work.
- Be wary of ads for test kits. Many test kits being advertised have not been approved by the FDA, and aren’t necessarily accurate. Almost all authorized home tests don’t provide rapid results and require you to send a test sample to a lab for analysis.
- Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes.
- Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And don’t click on links from sources you don’t know.
- Do your homework when it comes to donations. Never donate in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money.
Blog Posts
Relief Checks
- Coronavirus relief scam impersonates Joe Simons from the Federal Trade Commission
- Stimulus payments for people, not nursing homes
- More money from the government?
- Last call for Economic Impact Payments: Nov. 21 at 3 ET
- Non-filers: Expect a letter about your stimulus check
- Getting stimulus payments to homeless communities
- Economic impact payment fix for 50,000 eligible spouses
- The IRS won’t call about your stimulus money
- Getting stimulus checks from car dealerships? Nope.
- How to transfer money from your EIP debit card to your bank account
- What to know about the Economic Impact Payment debit cards
- Did a nursing home or assisted living facility take your stimulus check?
- Did an ID thief steal your stimulus payment? Report it to us.
- Economic Impact Payments: May 5 deadline for some SSI and VA beneficiaries with kids
- Economic impact payments for U.S. citizens abroad
- If you get SSA or RRB and have kids: file before noon on April 22
- Coronavirus stimulus payment scams: What you need to know
- Coronavirus checks: flattening the scam curve
- Want to get your Coronavirus relief check? Scammers do too.
- Checks from the government
Treatment Claims
- FTC warns companies to stop peddling fake COVID treatments and cures
- FTC: Sellers need proof for COVID treatment claims
- Cracking down on fake COVID-19 cures
- More FTC warnings about scam Coronavirus treatments
- FTC warns 45 more sellers of scam Coronavirus treatments
- CBD, COVID-19 and cancer: The unfounded facts
- FTC sends more warnings to sellers of scam Coronavirus treatments
- FTC & FDA: Warnings sent to sellers of scam Coronavirus treatments
Financial Impact
- If you have federal student loans, read this
- Temporary stop of COVID-19 evictions: what you need to know
- If you have federal student loans, read this
- IRS sending $500 to people mistakenly denied money for dependent children
- Scammy PPE sellers exploit COVID-19 fears
- Going shopping? Don’t get shortchanged
- Online seller failed to ship next-day PPE as promised
- Activate your EIP Visa debit card now
- Steer clear of work-at-home scams
- Fake emails about fake money from a fake COVID-19 fund
- FTC, SBA warn companies about SBA loan promises
- Fraudulent funders = big woes for small businesses
- Dealing with a deceased relative’s debt
- Planning a funeral? Know your rights
- FTC letters target more unproven MLM health and earnings claims
- Hurricane season 2020 and COVID-19
- Credit reports are now free, every week
- Coronavirus and your student loan debt
- COVID-19 ruined my travel plans. Now what?
- New funding for Coronavirus SBA loans attracts scammers
- FTC sends COVID-related warnings to MLM companies
- What you should know about payday loans and car title loans
- Dealing with debt collectors during the pandemic
- Managing your bills during COVID-19
- Behind on car payments because of the Coronavirus?
- Coronavirus and your mortgage
- Looking for work after Coronavirus layoffs?
Scam Alerts
- COVID-19 vaccines are in the pipeline. Scammers won’t be far behind.
- Giving wisely in the time of COVID
- COVID-19 clinical trial: real or fake? Learn how to tell the difference.
- Those free COVID-19 money offers on WhatsApp and Facebook are scams
- Scams in between stimulus packages
- Keep calm and avoid Coronavirus scams
- Help COVID-19 contact tracers, not scammers
- COVID mask exemption cards are not from the government
- Scams in online sales: when orders don’t arrive
- Is a scammer getting unemployment benefits in your name?
- Finding a furry friend in the era of COVID-19
- Fighting Coronavirus scams: taking stock
- Make your Coronavirus donations count
- Scammers offer facemasks but don’t deliver
- Avoid scams while finding help during quarantine
- While you’re at home, spot the scams
- 60 and over in the time of COVID-19? Read on
- Thinking critically about Coronavirus news and information
- Now more than ever, spot the scams with #FTCScamBingo
- FTC: Coronavirus scams, Part 2
- Coronavirus: Scammers follow the headlines
Imposters
- Target for new COVID scam: Small business owners
- Coronavirus relief scam impersonates Joe Simons from the Federal Trade Commission
- The FTC Chairman is not writing to you
- Utility company calling? Don’t fall for it.
- Scammers impersonate the FTC, too
- Not every COVID-19 testing site is legit
- Scammers are using COVID-19 messages to scam people
- Avoiding SSA scams during COVID-19
- Grandparent scams in the age of Coronavirus
Robocalls
Privacy & Online Security
- Settlement requires Zoom to better secure your personal information
- What to do when you (and your kids) are online at home
- Help COVID-19 contact tracers, not scammers
- How to avoid COVID-19 government imposter scams
- COVID-19 scams targeting college students
- COVID-19 contact tracing text message scams
- Don’t click links in unsolicited text messages
- Remote learning and children’s privacy
- Online security tips for working from home
Reports to the FTC
- COVID-19 report data “on the daily”
- What do COVID-19 scams look like in your state?
- COVID-19 scam reports, by the numbers
FTC Resources in Other Languages
See our consumer tips in Korean, Tagalog, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Government Resources
Stay Connected
- Bookmark this site (ftc.gov/coronavirus) to check back for updates.
- Subscribe to alerts for consumers and businesses to keep up with the latest scams.
- Like our FTC Facebook page.
- Follow @FTC for the latest tweets from the FTC.
- Link to ftc.gov/coronavirus for the FTC’s most up-to-date information about Coronavirus scams using these social media shareables.
Share in Your Community
- How to Spot, Avoid and Report Coronavirus Scams
- Add local contacts, like your state Attorney General, and state and local health departments. Then share it in your community.