Federal and State Officials Launch West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced March 31st, 2020 the formation of a West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force to identify, investigate and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He is joined in this effort by US District Attorneys Mike Stuart and Bill Powell, representing the Southern and Northern Districts of the state.
The West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is a joint federal and state partnership that will be led by a Deputy West Virginia Attorney General, and Assistant United States Attorneys from both the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia, in partnership with experienced fraud investigators from the West Virginia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. They’ll be aided in the process by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the IRS Criminal Investigation and the West Virginia State Police.
“Since
the Governor’s declaration, our Consumer Protection Division and its
investigators have fielded hundreds of reports from those faced with price
gouging, landlord-tenant issues and vacation/event cancellations,” W.Va. Attorney
General Morrisey said. “The Consumer Protection Division has already sent
multiple warning letters to businesses on enforcement matters. These are
unparalleled times in which we live, and that’s why I am honored to join forces
with U.S. Attorneys Bill Powell and Mike Stuart, as together, by combining the
investigative and civil enforcement powers of the state Attorney General’s
Office with the criminal prosecutorial authority of the federal government, our
state is very well positioned to protect its citizens in this time of peril.”
“West Virginians always
band together in times of need and times of crisis,” said United States
Attorney Mike Stuart. “My fellow U.S. Attorney Bill Powell, West Virginia
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and our federal and state law enforcement
partners have joined me in forming this statewide task force to protect West
Virginians from fraudsters attempting to exploit a national crisis for personal
gain. There’s nothing more despicable. We will use every tool available
to us at the federal and state levels to ensure the safety of our citizens and
the safety of their wallets during this crisis.”
“Though we are not a big
state, when our citizens are preyed upon, Mountaineer pride and determination
assure that we will stand together like no other. I stand with my
colleagues U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick
Morrisey, and our law enforcement partners in promising aggressive pursuit of
those taking advantage of our citizens during the current public health
crisis. We will devote all necessary resources,” said Powell.
“The FBI is committed to keeping West Virginians safe from
scams associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said FBI Pittsburgh Acting
Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “Scammers often prey on anxiety and
fear. Right now, those cyber criminals perceive a large percentage of the
population to be vulnerable. Rest assured, the FBI is fully committed to
addressing criminal activity during this unprecedented time. We will work closely
with our federal, state and local partners to ensure fraudsters don’t take
advantage of people’s fears for their own selfish gains.”
“HSI stands alongside our law enforcement partners in our commitment to
investigating the shameful crimes perpetrated by individuals taking advantage
of the public in this time of uncertainty and fear,” said Raymond Villanueva,
HSI Special Agent in Charge for Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West
Virginia.
“Unfortunately, scammers see times of crisis as
an opportunity to prey on those most vulnerable in our communities,” said
IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Kelly Jackson. “I want the citizens of
West Virginia to know the IRS will NOT ask you to verify your personal
information or to sign up for anything in order to receive your payments
related to COVID-19. Please stay vigilant, you worked hard for your
money, don’t let scammers take it from you by falling victim to their frauds.”
The task force will review and investigate all credible leads of fraud
associated with the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of the loss amount,
focusing on schemes to exploit vulnerable populations, including the elderly,
and concerned citizens. Attorneys from the West
Virginia Attorney General’s Office and federal prosecutors from the Southern and
Northern Districts of West Virginia will meet and confer with their agency
counterparts from the state’s Consumer Protection Division, FBI, HSI, IRS-CI
and West Virginia State Police on a regular basis to prioritize cases and surge
resources where needed. West Virginia Deputy Attorney General / Consumer
Protection and Antitrust Division Director Ann Haight, Assistant United States
Attorney Erik Goes in the Southern District of West Virginia and Assistant
United States Attorney Andrew Cogar in the Northern District of West Virginia
will be spearheading the efforts of the task force.
Some examples of coronavirus and COVID-19 scams include:
- Treatment scams: Scammers are offering to sell fake cures, vaccines, and advice on unproven treatments for COVID-19.
- Supply scams: Scammers are creating fake shops, websites, social media accounts, and email addresses claiming to sell medical supplies currently in high demand, such as surgical masks. When consumers attempt to purchase supplies through these channels, fraudsters pocket the money and never provide the promised supplies.
- Provider scams: Scammers are also 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.
- Charity scams: Scammers are soliciting donations for individuals, groups, and areas affected by COVID-19.
- Phishing scams: Scammers posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sending phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
- App scams: Scammers are also creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users’ devices and personal information.
- Investment scams: Scammers are 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.
- Price Gouging scams: 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.
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 COVID-19 pandemic, can call the state’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-368-8808. Written complaints can be filed at www.wvago.gov.
To report suspicious activity regarding the COVID-19 virus, residents are asked
to call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or
email at disaster@leo.gov.
To report fraud directly to the FBI, please visit their website at https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.
Don’t be a victim! Visit www.irs.gov for the
latest information on new scams and schemes!
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.
For more information on COVID-19, please go to: www.justice.gov/coronavirus.