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3 Step Guide to Phishing Scams:
1.) Understand Who Can Get Scammed
- As you may have guessed, anyone can be a target of a phishing scam. As of April 19, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had received 22,335 consumer complaints related to the outbreak, including more than 12,000 fraud complaints. Victims have reported losses of $16.6 million, with a median loss of $557. READ MORE...
- In particular, there is an increase in targeting children who are home from school and spending more time online. Make sure to address the threat of phishing scams at home with your loved ones.
2.) Know The Most Common Scams
- Government Impersonators. Criminals are reaching out to people through social media, emails, or phone calls pretending to be from the government and even going door-to-door to try to convince someone that they need to provide money for COVID testing, financial relief, or medical equipment.
- it's important to know that the government will not reach out to you this way.
- Fraudulent Cures or Medical Equipment-Related. These "cures" can be extremely dangerous to your health, even fatal. You should never accept a medical treatment or virus test from anyone other than your doctor, pharmacist, or local health department.
- Work From Home Fraud. If someone you don't know contacts you and wants you to urgently pay them in return for a "job," you are dealing with a criminal. Legitimate jobs will not ask you to pay them.
- Investment Fraud. One of the most lucrative schemes for criminals is offering you an opportunity to invest in a cure or treatment for the virus. The purpose of these get-rich-quick schemes is simply to defraud the investor. Any offer like this should be treated with extreme caution.
3.) What YOU Can Do
- Awareness is Key. Maintain a healthy dose of skepticism in general and be suspicious of anyone offering you something that's "too good to be true" or is a secret investment opportunity or medical advice.
- Share the Knowledge. Feel free to pass this email along as well as the following helpful poster on keeping
 calm to avoid Coronavirus Scams: here, or to the right:
- Contact Clark. Finally, If you have any questions at all, please reach out to your agent at Clark or directly to Tim McCarty, our Director of Safety & Risk Consulting, by email or phone: (207) 523-2204 .
Please remain safe and vigilant during these trying times and don't forget to make your own health, both physical and mental, a priority as we continue to navigate this pandemic.
Sincerely,
- Your Team at Clark Insurance
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