Whether it’s a charity asking for a donation or a promise of more stimulus money, be aware of the scams surrounding Coronavirus.
- The FTC and its chairperson are not calling, texting, or emailing about Coronavirus money.
- Scammers are using websites that look like a government unemployment site to get personal information.
- Start an application for unemployment benefits only at careeronestop.org and search for local unemployment benefits.
- Do not respond to calls or messages about unemployment benefits. Instead, contact the State Workforce Agency directly at dol.gov and search for state workforce agencies.
- The government will never:
- Ask you to pay to receive stimulus-related money.
- Call, text, or email and ask for your Social Security, account, or credit card number.
- Fraudulent charities include legitimate logos and words in their names. Stay clear of charities that:
- Ask for payment by money order or cash.
- Send an invoice or bill for a pledge you never made.
- Require your donation immediately.
- Fraudulent emails appear to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), but they link to harmful websites.
- CEFCU will never call or send you a message asking for personal or account information.
Check out the steps CEFCU is taking to protect you at Disaster Preparedness. And remember, if you’ve been financially impacted by COVID-19, we’re here to help.
- Stay up to date on the virus with the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: coronavirus.jhu.edu
- Verify the legitimacy of a charity at the BBB Wise Giving Alliance: give.org
- Report fraud to the FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Find out about scams related to the virus: ftc.gov/coronavirus
- Let the FTC know if you gave personal information in response to unemployment: IdentityTheft.gov/unemploymentinsurance