Scam Alerts and Tips - March 18, 2021
Hello Preventing Financial Scams Initiative Stakeholders,
We hope this message finds you well! The Community Foundation is now sending twice monthly Scam Alerts and Tips to protect our community.
COVID-19 Cautions
Be Careful with Sharing Your COVID-19 Vaccine Card

In a recent press release, Nevada Attorney General, Aaron Ford, warned about posting your COVID-19 vaccine card on social media:

"Vaccine cards include your full name, date of birth and patient number information, all of which can be used to steal your identity. Even the place where you were vaccinated should be kept private. Particularly on social media platforms, any information you post may be more widely distributed or copied than just to those on your friends list... If you want to share your vaccine status on social media, consider posting a photo of something else–such as the bandage on your arm or a vaccination sticker."



Avoiding Stimulus Check Scams

With another round of economic impact payments, commonly known as "stimulus checks," scammers are trying to deceive people. You will never have to pay to receive your payment. Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on avoiding stimulus check scams:

"Only use irs.gov/coronavirus to submit information to the IRS – and never in response to a call, text, or email.

The IRS won’t contact you by phone, email, text message, or social media with information about your stimulus payment, or to ask you for your Social Security number, bank account, or government benefits debit card account number. Anyone who does is a scammer phishing for your information."

AARP Scam-Tracking Map - Fake Grant Reported

A south Reno resident reported a government grant scam. A caller claimed to be with the US Department of the Treasury:

"[They] said I was getting a $9000 grant, but I had to buy a $250 registration card. I was supposed to call another number and give them a code. I was to use the code to get the information to pick up the money after I bought the registration card. I was supposedly receiving the funds because I was a good citizen having never been arrested and always paying taxes."

While this scam was reported last year, many similar scams continue. You never have to pay money to receive a scam or a government grant.

Have You Spotted or Stopped a Scam? Report it!
 
Nevada Attorney General
Phone: 888-434-9989.
 
Federal Trade Commission
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