WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan announced efforts to use funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to help combat scammers who are using the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud Americans.
As of Saturday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recorded 1,470 scam reports totaling approximately $967,000. These reported scams sharply increase in mid-March 2020, with spikes in early January 2021 and March 15, 2021.
“These scams take many forms, including offering expedited access to economic stimulus payments for a fee, impersonating public health officials or health insurers or providers, and selling phony products and treatments claimed to prevent or cure COVID-19,” Hassan wrote. “These illegal scams are a danger to the health and financial security of Americans.”
A letter from Hassan to Acting FTC Chairman Rebecca Kelly can be read here