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.
Every year in Washington State Fire ravages forests in the state and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz wants lawmakers to take action this legislative session.
Despite Pandemic Local Real Estate Market is Booming
Many realtors agree the local real estate market has been hot and there s no sign it s going to cool down anytime soon. The pandemic has impacted many businesses in Yakima but not the local real estate market. Sales have been up across the board for months. COVID-19 has certainly kept a lot of people at home wishing they lived in a different home and that may be part of the reason for strong real estate sales so far this year in Yakima County. Home sales have been strong in both the city and county.