July 07, 2020
What do COVID-19 scams look like in your state?
Filed in:
Report from consumer.ftc.gov:
We’ve been telling you about the scams related to COVID-19. But now we can tell you even more about the scams happening in your neck of the woods. Just today, the FTC released state-specific data on COVID-19-related issues, which you can check out with just a few clicks of your mouse. With user-friendly features, the FTC’s data dashboard lets you click on your state to see what people near you have been reporting. And see how people across the country are being affected, too.
Since January 1, people across the U.S. have made 91,808 COVID-19-related reports to the FTC. Most of these reports involve online shopping, with travel and vacations coming in second. The online shopping reports are mostly about people ordering products that never arrive, while most of the travel and vacation reports relate to refunds and cancellations. So far, people have reported losing $59.27 million on these and other COVID-related fraud reports.
So how have COVID-19-related consumer issues affected your state? Find out for yourself. Then tell your family, friends, and community what to look out for, and how to protect themselves. Also, be sure to visit ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams for alerts, infographics, videos, and more information about COVID-19 scams.