GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — With stimulus checks hitting some bank accounts this week, and a global pandemic causing a historic spike in unemployment, it’s the perfect storm for scammers trying to get their hands on your money.
The Better Business Bureau’s Susan Bach says the nature of the scams are diverse, to say the least, from phony attempts at getting you a quicker stimulus check to fake personal protective gear.
“We’re getting a lot of reports about fake websites selling protective gear,” Bach said. “People will spend a lot of money and it will never show up.”
It’s not just fraudulent websites. Bach says people are pitching phony cures for the virus as well.
“We know that there is no cure or vaccine for the coronavirus,” Bach told WTAQ. “So if anybody sends you any information about that, it is definitely a scam.”
With unemployment spiking to record levels, employment scams are also becoming more and more common.
“If you recieve an offer that you didn’t solicit yourself…be very careful about those,” said Bach. “You should never have to pay money to get a job.”
Bach says the most important thing to do is research before giving your money to anyone during the crisis.
