NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James has issued an alert to New Yorkers to remain vigilant against potential scams related to the coronavirus disease.
As more New Yorkers become eligible for the vaccine and a new round of stimulus payments are sent out, scammers are seeking to take advantage of New Yorkers by making fraudulent promises, the AG’s office warned.
“Scammers are out there, and they are continuing to find a slew of new and shameful tactics to exploit this pandemic,” said James. “These cyberattacks are just the latest example of unscrupulous individuals capitalizing on health and economic suffering, and it is crucial that New Yorkers remain vigilant to ensure they do not fall victim to these illegal activities. Promises to skip the vaccine line or receive additional stimulus payments are lies, plain and simple, and New Yorkers need to remain alert. I encourage all New Yorkers to follows these safety tips and report suspected scams to my office. We remain committed to protecting consumers’ health and wallets and rooting out fraud.”
‘IRS Rescue Plan Dept.’
The AG’s office said there have been recent reports of scammers posing as the “IRS Rescue Plan Dept” and attempting to steal people’s personal and financial information through malicious messages, known as phishing emails.
“To make these scams even more deceiving, the emails may include the IRS logo to establish credibility, and often could have an official sounding subject line, like ‘IRS Rescue Plan Act.’ In other instances, the subject lines have read: ‘Joe Biden Rescue Plan Act,’ ‘IRS Rescue Plan Form,’ or ‘President’s Rescue Plan Act,’ among others, the AG’s office stated.