In a time when many of us should be coming together and protecting each other from further spread of coronavirus, unfortunately there are scammers who are seeing this as a prime opportunity to cheat people of their money. More and more people are in mass panic and reverting to more online shopping for their goods.
As such, global trading commissions have sent out warnings to the public about these scams. They claim they have products that can help prevent COVID-19 or there are vaccines available to stop the virus growing. It’s important that the public are not clicking on such links where they request funds in order for the products to be made available.
Here are some crucial points to consider that can help protect yourself from coronavirus scams.
Avoid coronavirus cure claims
There is much research going into the coronavirus as experts look into how to stop the invisible disease. However, there is nothing yet that has been approved by WHO which confirms it stops the virus. This will become public knowledge to everyone once or if this is possible.
This means there is absolutely no reason to purchase something from an unreliable source which claims to be a cure. Of course, there are suggestions that remaining healthy and having a strong immune system can help you from becoming vulnerable to the virus. However, products that claim they directly influence your protection from coronavirus will be false.
Any product or service that claims to protect you specifically from the virus are fake and shouldn’t be followed.
Ignore vaccine claims
Similar to products that claim to cure coronavirus, there has been no official vaccine confirmed to be available to the public. It’s likely that this won’t come for at least another 12 months or so. If you come across any form of advertising that claims to cure you from coronavirus, this won’t be the case. The scams are in place to take advantage of the fear factor that the population currently has, which means many people will be eager to protect themselves where they can.
Avoid purchasing masks from unfamiliar brands
PPE is becoming extremely sought after for many, particularly those in the healthcare industry. These are classified as key equipment that can protect the spread of the virus and help to prevent contracting it. Therefore, many organisations are encouraging those who are not sick to avoid purchasing the personal protective equipment and making it available to those who need it most.
Considering their unfortunate lack of availability, many online retailers are price gouging masks and making claims that they are N95 masks to help respiratory, when they are actually not. Try to be wary of such brands that make these claims, and if you can try to avoid buying them unless completely necessary. If you do need them, look at brands such as 3M and Honeywell.
Final thoughts
It’s important that you’re able to look after yourself during these testing times. It’s important that you’re aware and up to date with latest developments in protecting yourself. Purchasing false products and equipment online that makes claims are unlikely to be taken legal action towards through corporate solicitors. This is because the guidelines have already been outlined and organisations have made clear of what health products are available.
