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CHARLESTON -- A task force has been created to identify, investigate and prosecute fraud related to the pandemic.
The West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is an initiative of the U.S. Attorneys for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia and the state Attorney General.
It will be led by assistant U.S. attorneys from both districts and a deputy attorney general in partnership with fraud investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, West Virginia State Police and the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.
The task force will review and investigate all credible leads of fraud associated with the pandemic, regardless of the loss amount, focusing on schemes to exploit vulnerable populations, including the elderly and concerned citizens.
"There's nothing more despicable," said Mike Stuart, U.S. attorney for the Southern District.
Bill Powell, U.S. attorney for the Northern District, said those people taking advantage of citizens during the public health crisis will be aggressively pursued.
"We will devote all necessary resources," Powell said.
The Consumer Protection Division has received hundreds of reports since the governor's declarations about the pandemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. Calls concerned price gouging, landlord-tenant issues and vacation and event cancellations, he said.
"The Consumer Protection Division has already sent multiple warning letters to businesses on enforcement matters," Morrisey said.
Some examples of COVID-19 scams include:
* Offering to sell fake cures, vaccines and advice on unproven treatments.
* Creating fake shops, websites, social media accounts and email addresses claiming to sell medical supplies in high demand, such as surgical masks.
* Contacting people by phone and email pretending to be doctors and hospitals that have treated a friend or relative for COVID-19 and demanding payment for that treatment.
* Soliciting donations for individuals, groups and areas affected by COVID-19.
* Posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and sending phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
* Creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users' devices and personal information.
* Offering online promotions on various platforms, including social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect or cure COVID-19, and that the stock of these companies will dramatically increase in value as a result. These promotions are often styled as "research reports," make predictions of a specific "target price," and relate to microcap stocks, or low-priced stocks issued by the smallest of companies with limited publicly available information.
* Individuals and businesses may sell essential goods, like hand sanitizer, for significantly higher prices than in a non-emergency setting. It is legally considered price gouging when the price of one of these products increases more than 10 percent its price in effect 10 days prior to an emergency declaration.
To report suspicious activity, residents are asked to call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or email disaster@leo.gov.
To report fraud directly to the FBI, go to its website at www.ic3.gov.
Any West Virginia consumer wishing to report scams, price gouging or other matters by which bad actors may try to take advantage of consumers during the pandemic can call the state's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-368-8808. Written complaints can be filed at www.wvago.gov.
Citizens can also call HSI's general tip-line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or email the agency's Intellectual Property Rights Center at iprcenter@ice.dhs.gov.