Joint Statement: U.S. Attorney John C.
Milhiser, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean M. Cox
Urge Public to Report Suspected COVID-19 Fraud
Report suspected fraud to local
authorities
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[April 23, 2020]
The following is a joint statement from Central
District of Illinois U.S. Attorney John C. Milhiser and FBI Special
Agent in Charge Sean M. Cox, Springfield Division:
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“This is an uncertain time for all of us. We are
justifiably concerned for our health and the health and safety of
our families, friends, and neighbors, along with the myriad other
concerns presented by this situation. Along with the medical
community and health professionals, law enforcement agencies
continue to work side-by-side to remain steadfastly committed to our
mission to keep our communities safe.
“Unfortunately, while uncertainty can reveal the best of our society
and citizens’ good will and generosity, scammers and fraudsters take
advantage of others, to prey on people’s fears and to exploit our
compassion and generosity. New scams will emerge; not only person to
person, but also cyber criminals who will perpetuate scams to steal
your money, by selling fake cures online and other forms of cyber
fraud, such as phishing emails or malware inserted into mobile apps
that appear legitimate to track the spread of the virus. These
frauds attempt to exploit and target the elderly, the sick, and the
economically disadvantaged.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Mar/23/images/ads/current/graue_20COLORADO_031620.png)
We urge the public to exercise caution and be alert for scams and
frauds, and to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19
(the Coronavirus) by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud
(NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or to the NCDF e-mail address
disaster@leo.gov.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Mar/23/images/ads/current/stclara_lda_SPONSOR_090519.png)
The NCDF can receive and enter complaints into a
centralized system that can be accessed by all U.S. Attorneys, as
well as Justice Department litigating and law enforcement components
to identify, investigate and prosecute fraud schemes. The NCDF
coordinates complaints with 16 additional federal law enforcement
agencies, as well as state Attorneys General and local authorities.
“Our offices continue to work together closely with
our state and local counterparts, and with our federal, state and
local law enforcement partners, so that criminal wrong doers will be
fully investigated and prosecuted, and face serious criminal
punishment for preying upon the most vulnerable during this time.
“The bottom line is that we must continue to practice caution and
awareness to protect ourselves from those who use a crisis situation
as a way to fraudulently benefit themselves.
Another educational resource is a public service announcement issued
today by the FBI that specifically outlines methods cyber scammers
may employ to commit fraud:
https://www.ic3.gov/media/
2020/200320.aspx Complaints may also be
submitted directly to the FBI at
www.ic3.gov
To find more about Department of Justice resources and information,
please visit
www.justice.gov/coronavirus
If anyone has any questions locally they may call the Lincoln Police
Department at 217-732-2151.
[Text from file received from
Lincoln Police Chief Paul Adams] |