DENVER – Ebola is becoming the next “big thing” for unscrupulous people looking to make a quick buck.
Consumer agencies and organizations like the Federal Trade Commission, FDA and AARP are receiving reports of scammers using scare tactics to peddle fraudulent health products promising to protect users from Ebola or asking for donations for phony charities that claim to assist Ebola patients.
Beau Ballinger, senior program specialist for AARP Foundation’s Elderwatch Program, says it’s all in a day’s work for scam artists.
“The scammers are constantly scouring headlines,” he says. “They’re constantly scouring social media. To these scammers, this is a job, and they’re very good at it, and what they do is manipulate our emotions and try to take advantage of us in that way.”
Ballinger says to never give personal or financial information to anyone who calls on the phone or comes to the door and to be wary of charities that use scare tactics or use a “pitch” filled with emotional words and images.
If approached regarding a “too-good-to-be-true” product or a donation, Ballinger says the best thing to do is ask for the person’s information and research the organization before doing business with them.
“If you’re ever in question about someone who’s contacted you, take yourself out of that situation and do your homework,” he says. “Contact a third-party organization like Elderwatch, as an example, to talk to someone about it. All it takes is that one moment for the scammer to get your personal information.”
Elderwatch offers free advice at (800) 222-4444.
