BBB Warns of COVID Related Scams in Yakima
The Better Business Bureau Yakima Police and Yakima County Sheriff s Office continue to warn consumers about COVID-19 related scams that are costing people thousands in lost dollars. They say the scams are spreading nearly as fast as the virus itself. As of January 12, the Federal Trade Commission logged more than 324,000 consumer complaints related to COVID-19 and stimulus payments, 69 percent of them involving fraud or identity theft. Victims have reported losing $307 million.
Scammers are using all the tools including phishing emails and texts, fake social media posts, robocalls and imposter schemes. The commission and the BBB warn of a lot of vaccine scams that point to fake websites and email scams that promise easy and early access to vaccines. Yakima Police say the scammers target elderly people in the Yakima Valley who are trustworthy and are pressured into giving up important information during the pandemic.