Delaware County Warns of COVID-19 related scams

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a warning this afternoon reminding taxpayers to guard against tax fraud and financial scams related to COVID-19.

The IRS has reported that they are monitoring and investigating a variety of active scams and schemes intended to take advantage of taxpayers. The IRS is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the criminals looking to take advantage of the uncertainty and financial stress we are experiencing during this global pandemic.

According to the IRS, scams include:

Sales of fake at-home test kits

Sales of fake cures, vaccines, pills, and advice on unproven treatments for COVID-19

Sales of large quantities of non-existent medical supplies through fake shops, websites, social media accounts, and email addresses

Fake charities

Fake investment opportunities

Phishing attempts via email and social media from organizations pretending to be the IRS

Residents, business owners, and municipalities should be vigilant and exercise extreme caution when sharing information and making financial transactions.

COVID-19 related scams should be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submitted through the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Web Complaint Form.

For more information, read the original News Release on the IRS Newsroom web page.