- The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, and scammers are exploiting the crisis to defraud you.
- Scammers are soliciting bitcoin donations to help “fight the virus,” while investors in U.S. microcap stocks are another easy target.
- Don’t fall prey to any of these five scams.
A good scammer never lets a crisis go to waste. Even as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak spirals toward 1, , fraudsters are exploiting fear, greed, and even generosity to make a quick buck.
Here are five cruel ways that scammers are shamelessly using the epidemic to swindle you – or maybe someone you love – out of your hard-earned cash.
1. Fake CDC Bitcoin Donation Campaign
There’s no vaccine for coronavirus yet, and scammers have seized on this fact to steal from generous individuals who want to help scientists find a cure.
In One example, scammers drafted an email that’s purportedly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It claims that the quest to develop a vaccine is prohibitively expensive.
It then asks you to make a donation – and this part should tip you off to the scheme – denominated in bitcoin:
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