Federal and state officials have teamed up to create a joint task force dedicated to fighting fraud related to the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 Fraud Task Force was launched Wednesday. It’s a partnership between a dozen partners across the state who are combining efforts to fight and investigate scammers trying to capitalize on the pandemic.
“By working together across all levels of government, the Task Force will ensure that cases are investigated promptly and brought to the appropriate prosecuting entity,” according to a press release from United States Attorney Michael Bailey. “In the midst of the current crisis, members of the Task Force will work together, share information, and better protect Arizona citizens by ensuring that all scams are investigated and those responsible are held to account.”
On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission reported that it had received almost 12,000 consumer complaints related to COVID-19 in just three months. Well over half of those complaints were fraud-related, with a total loss to consumers of $8.39 million.
The Arizona Attorney General website has set up a COVID-19 Consumer Protection page for residents of the state. There you can learn more about scams and file complaints.
Read more about the task force and some known scams from our Let Joe Know team.
