SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

April 30, 2020

 

COSTCO CENSUS SCAMS

 

The coronavirus scammers are still at it! They have discovered more new ways of tricking people into either giving them money or letting them into their systems to wreak havoc.

 

Among the latest COVID-19 scams, they are exploiting uncertainties and confusion over the current US Census as a cover for their tricks.

 

Now the crooks are pretending to be Census workers, claiming they need personal information from victims as part of a coronavirus data gathering exercise. Emails posing as official inquiries from the US Census Bureau are using the same trick.

 

The Census does not involve questions about the disease. If you receive one, ignore it and politely dismiss whoever is at your front door asking the question.

 

You can also safely ignore any fake “COVID-19 stimulus package” message purporting to be from major retailer Costco. The scam will likely come in an email or text proclaiming “$110 Goodies from Costco.”

 

Costco isn’t offering any such deal. Period.

 

Recipients are then asked to click a link to complete a survey, which may then either download malware or steal confidential confirmation.

 

You can report any experience with scammers using this trick to the US Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov

 

Attribution: scambusters.org