Scam Alerts as a result of the Coronavirus Relief Act

 city shields



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



During this time of crisis, scammers are looking to use fear and anxiety to steal money and information. These efforts have greatly increased since the passage of the Coronavirus Relief Act.

Keep the following things in mind when answering calls or emails:

  1. No one will call you to verify your information to send you your relief money, and nobody can get you your money faster. The checks will be sent out based upon your information on file with the IRS for 2018, or 2019 if you have already filed. If you want your check, file your taxes.
  2. If you have not gone to a doctor or hospital to be treated or tested, nobody will be calling you to give you any results, so you do not need to give them any information to “verify your identity”.
  3. There are no “at home” tests available for COVID-19 and there are no known cures or vaccinations for COVID-19, so anyone trying to sell you any of the above are scammers.

Our best advice is to hang up on telemarketers or robocalls as soon as you realize who they are. Do not engage them and do not press any numbers. Hang up, hang up, hang up.

Additional information can be found here:
https://www.fcc.gov/covid-scams
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing 

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

City of Highland:
https://www.highlandil.gov/

State of Illinois Coronavirus response:
 https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/coronavirus/Pages/default.aspx

Illinois Department of Public Health:
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus

Centers for Disease Control:
https://www.cdc.gov/