Federal Judge In Austin, Texas Orders Take Down Of Website Selling Alleged Cure
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that United States District Judge Robert Pitman granted their request for a temporary restraining order against operators of a fraudulent website related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Granted in late March, this order marked the first enforcement action in the global combat against fraud related to COVID-19 spearheaded by the Justice Department, who announced disrupting “hundreds” of online scams related to the virus in late April.
As set out in the civil complaint, the operators of “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” are alleged to be engaging in a wire-fraud scheme in attempt to profit from “the confusion and widespread fear surrounding COVID-19.” Their website included claims offering American consumers access to vaccine kits from the World Health Organization (WHO) by entering their credit card information into the website for a $4.95 shipping charge. In reality, however, the WHO does not distribute any COVID-19, and no legitimate vaccine for COVID-19 exists as of late April. U.S. District Judge Pitman granted the government’s temporary restraining order against the operator, requiring it to block public access to the fraudulent website immediately. The DOJ commenced the action under a federal statute that allows the government to seek injunctions to prevent harm to potential future victims of fraudulent schemes.
Since this action, the DOJ recently announced it has disrupted hundreds of fraudulent websites created and used to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to commit fraud, identity theft, and other crimes.
In that recent press release, the DOJ issued the following tips that can help protect individuals and businesses from cyber criminals during the COVID-19 outbreak
- Independently verify the identity of any company, individual, charity or organization that contacts you about COVID-19.
- Double, even triple check websites and email addresses offering anything related to COVID-19, including information, products, or services. Be advised that scammers will regularly employ addresses that differ only slightly from the websites belonging to the entities they are impersonating. For example, scammers might use “cdc.com” or “cdc.org” instead of “cdc.gov.”
- Be vigilant and cautious of unsolicited emails offering anything related to COVID-19, including information, supplies, or treatment for COVID-19, or requesting your personal information for medical reasons. Legitimate health authorities will not contact the public this way.
- Do not click on links or open email attachments from unknown or unverified sources. Doing so could download a virus onto your computer or device.
- Ensure that your computer’s anti-malware and anti-virus software is running and up to date. Sure that your operating system is also up to date.
- Ignore any offers for a vaccine, cure, or treatment for COVID-19. Importantly, if a vaccine becomes available, you will not hear about it for the first time through an email, online ad, or unsolicited sales pitch.
- Check online reviews of any company offering COVID-19 products or supplies. Avoid companies whose customers have complained about not receiving items.
- Research and verify sites soliciting donations in connection with COVID-19 before giving any donation. Be advised, even if an entity uses words like “CDC” or “government” in its name, or even if it has reputable looking seals or logos on its materials, an organization may still not be legitimate.
- Do not send money in cash, by wire transfer, gift card, or by the mail. Be on the lookout for any entity, whether a business, charity, or individual, requesting payments or donations through these channels.
- Be wary of “investment opportunities” related to COVID-19, particularly those based on claims that a smaller business or entity’s products or services can aid in stopping the coronavirus. Should you decide to invest, however, diligently research the investment opportunity before doing so. For further information on how to avoid investment fraud, feel free to visit the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
If you, friends, coworkers, or a family member see any suspicious fraud related to COVID-19, online or otherwise, please visit the website of the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, or local law enforcement to report the activity and obtain more information. Be safe.
