Coronavirus Scams Have Begun In The Bay Area: Police

BAY AREA — As the San Francisco Bay Area settles into a shelter-in-place order, residents are warned to guard against scammers. The Alameda Police Department reports that a local sheriff's office took a report about a coronavirus scam over the weekend.

Here's what the scammer tried, according to APD, "the victim received a phone call stating their loved one had contracted COVID-19 and was involved in a collision while in route to the hospital. The suspect claimed the loved one was arrested for the collision and needed $13,000 bail and would send a friend to retrieve the money."

Coronavirus Malware Warning

And that's not all. The city of Alameda’s IT Department issued a warning about spoofed medical and coronavirus update websites.

The fraudulent sites appear to be legitimate COVID-19 websites and some mirror the John Hopkins coronavirus layout and maps. But when you click on the spoofed sites, a Trojan malware virus loads onto your device. The malware can record your keystrokes, making it possible for security information to be stolen, such as bank account numbers and passwords.

If you do a search for information, police say "never assume all the links in a Google/Yahoo/Bing search are safe."

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Coronavirus Charity Scams

And one final warning from Alameda Police, be suspicious of requests for donations. Police say "it is always best to give directly to well-established, reputable charitable organizations." Try Charity Navigator to investigate legitimate places to donate.

Sites that allow users to set up funds, such as Go Fund Me, have been used in the past by scammers.

Related:

• 'Shelter In Place' Order Issued For Much Of The Bay Area: Coronavirus
• 34 Cases Of Coronavirus In Contra Costa County
• Kaiser Permanente, John Muir Hospitals Cancel Elective Surgeries
• East Bay Regional Parks Close Visitor Centers, Cancel Programs