Beware New Text Message Coronavirus Scams

The latest bunch of text messaging scams targets New Yorkers with phony offers of fake grants, tax refunds, pandemic relief, and unemployment insurance payments — but all the scammers really want is to steal money and personal information from you, warned officials from the New York State Division of Consumer Protection.

"Throughout this public health crisis, scammers have been hard at work preying on unsuspecting New Yorkers," Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said in an announcement Thursday. "This latest batch of scams prey on New Yorkers seeking pandemic relief by spoofing official government agencies."

Scammers are enticing victims to click on links to phony websites. Their messages contain official-sounding phrases such as “pandemic stimulus relief,” “Treasury Department,” and “government payment" — like this one highlighted by the Orangetown Police Department.

Victims who click the links from the text messages arrive at official-looking websites designed to impersonate federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration and New York State agencies, including the Department of Labor regarding unemployment payments or the Department of Health regarding contact tracing.

Then they solicit bank information and other sensitive personal details such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers and bank account logins/passwords so that the victim can "accept payment."

Sample of actual text messages:

• Treasury Fund Payment: “You have received a direct deposit of $1,200 from COVID-19 Treasury Fund. Further action is required to accept this payment into your account.”
• COVID Relief Grant: "The IRS has deemed you eligible for the current COVID relief grant sponsored by the Treasury Clearinghouse, you stand a chance of getting a minimum of $100000 for being a regular tax payer, agent Davies Gran has been assigned. Click the link below"
• Unemployment Claim: “You have pending claim of $1,200 from covid-19 TREAS 310 tax ref. Further action is required to disburse funds. Click here to confirm payment method:"
• Stimulus Help: "From IRS-GO: You are eligible - Register for COVID-19 Stimulus Help MSG#: 123455668"

In another type of scam, victims may receive a phone call claiming they are a victim of identity theft and then receive an alarming text message, further reinforcing the lie that they have a problem.

Collaborating with New York State’s Division of Consumer Protection and several federal government agencies, telecommunications carriers have blocked thousands of these fake text messages using sophisticated algorithms to look for keywords, malicious activity, and other trends.

But as the pandemic continues and the holidays approach, consumers should be mindful of increasing scam activity.

"While everyone is doing their best to stay informed throughout the pandemic response, unfortunately there are those who will seek to prey upon people during their most vulnerable time," New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said. "As always, we must make it a habit to consider and verify the source of unsolicited promotions and monetary offers and keep personal information, including health information, protected."

To be safe, do not click links in suspect texts or emails. These lead to convincing impersonation websites attempting to collect your sensitive personally identifiable information. Call the government agency directly to confirm communications, if you are concerned.

Hang up the phone immediately if someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from any government agency and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation.

State officials offered these two tips:

• Text messages from the New York State Department of Labor will only come from the number 468-311 OR via DocuSign. A DOL representative will never reach out directly through a text message. If someone claims to be a DOL representative over text, please block and alert the DOL. NEVER give your SSN over social media – we will NOT ask for this information on social media. The DOL urges anyone who believes they have been a victim of fraud to report it immediately at ny.gov/uifraud.

• NYS Department of Health may contact you as “NYS Contact Tracing” (518-387-9993). PLEASE answer the phone. Answering the phone will keep your loved ones and community safe. For more information on contact tracing: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/new-york-state-contact-tracing.

And remember: federal agencies will typically first initiate contact with constituents via mail. They do not request personal or financial information through text message or email and will not ask for credit card numbers over a phone call they initiate.

Need to check? Contact the agency directly: Internal Revenue Service (IRS):1-800-829-1040 or the Social Security Administration (SSA): 1-800-772-1213.

If you are concerned about a scam, call or file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Protection.