Be Alert for Scams During Challenging Times

Content contributed by Brightworth Financial

As you read this, you’ve probably been bombarded with news about financial markets, lockdowns, and public health. While the current environment provides a time for us to connect with others to give comfort, others see an opportunity to leverage a crisis to exploit people through scams.

In the last few weeks, there has been a surge of offers for fake “cures”, scam investments and “phishing” to capture personal data. Some can be clever, so we want to share a few reminders about emails, texts and social media posts from fake charities, nonexistent health agencies, and imaginary treatments.

Clicking a link about COVID-19 or Coronavirus can possibly lead to downloading a computer virus. This is a good time to check that you have the latest malware detection software installed on your computer and phone. Remember you can “hover” your cursor over a link to see the entire link previewed. As always, watch out for misspellings, grammatical errors, and the old “is this too good to be true” test. If in doubt, find the website of the organization named and check their website (not the link in the email) to verify. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or World Health Organization are not sending alarmist emails asking for your money or data.

Also, any cures or treatments will be communicated by multiple news sources. Anyone offering shares in a company on the edge of a breakthrough is likely just trying to break through to your bank account.

As for donating to charities, follow the same guidelines. Verify by visiting the organizations’ websites or even call them. You can help stop bad actors by reporting suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission.

We want to do our best to keep our clients safe and well positioned through this current health and economic climate.  Please feel free to share this message with your loved ones, and contact us with any questions.