Online scams are as common as rain and sunshine. And as the pandemic comes to a close the scams keep coming.
Fake Vaccine Cards
Yes, you can buy a fake vaccine card online. Criminals are cashing in on the U.S. COVID-19 immunization effort by selling forgeries of government-issued “vaccination record cards” that show people have been inoculated. Why? Because airlines and hotels may begin to demand that travelers show their vaccine cards as a condition of doing business. The so-called “vaccine passport” may become a real thing. And in some places it already is.
Hundreds of suspect websites are offering to sell fellow assholes blank or forged versions of the cards over e-commerce sites including eBay, Etsy and Shopify. According to Saoud Khalifah, CEO of Fakespot, which uses artificial intelligence to detect online retail scams, these crooks are also also advertising the fakes on Facebook. These scammers are brazen and using names like as blankcovidcard.com.
So if you are the kind of asshole that wants to buy a fake government document be my guest. And if you are the kind of asshole that falsely convinces someone that you have been vaccinated against a deadly disease possibly spreading it to some innocent person then I think you deserve the 20 year federal prison sentence for possessing or selling fake government documents.
Post Pandemic Dating Scams
You’re single and you been on lock down and in isolation for over a year. You are yearning to get back to dating and a social life. You better believe the scammers know that. As if dating online is not problematic enough now you got post pandemic catfishing.
The FBI is reporting that many singles are too eager to jump back into online dating and paying a price. People have reported being scammed out of hundreds, even thousands dollars by online lovers. In addition there has been sexual assaults and even STD spikes all related to post pandemic online dating.
No one is immune from being scammed from an online romance and the numbers and dollars are staggering. Check out the map of 2021 so far.
|
Rank
|
State
|
Victims per 100K
|
Victim loss per 100K
|
Change from 2019
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 11.5 | $146,112 | 5.29 |
| 2 | Nevada | 8.4 | $207,052 | 0.92 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 6.7 | $96,381 | 3.01 |
| 4 | Washington | 6.5 | $151,312 | 1.15 |
| 5 | California | 5.3 | $182,914 | 0.87 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 6.7 | $124,502 | 1.05 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 4.8 | $131,451 | 2.27 |
| 8 | North Dakota | 4.6 | $171,522 | 0.92 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 4.2 | $199,225 | 0.2 |
| 10 | Arizona | 6 | $111,214 | 1.42 |
| 11 | Colorado | 6.6 | $83,974 | 1.35 |
| 12 | Iowa | 5.2 | $105,253 | 1.58 |
| 13 | Virginia | 5.6 | $107,176 | 1.13 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 5 | $115,973 | 1.2 |
| 15 | Kansas | 5.5 | $70,327 | 1.96 |
| 16 | Oregon | 6.3 | $64,757 | 1.48 |
| 17 | Delaware | 5 | $95,873 | 1.34 |
| 18 | Utah | 5.4 | $75,290 | 1.55 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5.1 | $102,243 | 0.78 |
| 20 | Florida | 5.6 | $96,508 | 0.5 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 4.8 | $92,392 | 1.19 |
| 22 | Maine | 5.1 | $66,002 | 1.79 |
| 23 | Missouri | 5.2 | $95,475 | 0.62 |
| 24 | Michigan | 4.6 | $94,917 | 1.06 |
| 25 | Idaho | 5 | $83,422 | 0.86 |
| 26 | Maryland | 5.2 | $69,179 | 0.91 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 4 | $110,734 | 0.39 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | 5 | $78,786 | 0.59 |
| 29 | Wyoming | 5.7 | $64,203 | 0.35 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | 4.5 | $78,310 | 0.52 |
| 31 | New York | 4 | $86,313 | 0.55 |
| 32 | New Jersey | 3.7 | $92,897 | 0.49 |
| 34 | Texas | 4.3 | $71,896 | 0.52 |
| 35 | Indiana | 4.1 | $80,554 | 0.39 |
| 36 | Hawaii | 4.2 | $85,013 | -0.07 |
| 37 | Alabama | 4.8 | $36,750 | 0.96 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 4.4 | $44,292 | 0.94 |
| 39 | Ohio | 3.6 | $77,727 | 0.36 |
| 40 | Tennessee | 4 | $75,354 | 0.12 |
| 41 | Arkansas | 4.5 | $44,220 | 0.46 |
| 42 | Georgia | 3.4 | $62,996 | 0.64 |
| 43 | Kentucky | 4.7 | $34,195 | 0.45 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 4.2 | $59,343 | -0.33 |
| 45 | Illinois | 3.4 | $49,779 | 0.32 |
| 46 | West Virginia | 4.1 | $75,713 | -1.22 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 3.6 | $15,547 | 1.04 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 3.7 | $67,653 | -0.89 |
| 49 | Montana | 4 | $47,107 | -0.94 |
| 50 | Vermont | 4 | $20,649 | -0.8 |
| 51 | South Dakota | 3.5 | $11,306 | -0.11 |
Post Pandemic Travel Scams
Ok, the pandemic is over..sort of. You got your vaccine and you are ready to go…anywhere. And the scammers know how bad you want to move out. Travel scams are everywhere. Lets get straight to the fact. Nothing is absolutely free and if it sounds too good to be true then it is. The internet is now exploding with post pandemic travel offers and yes there are some good deals to be found. But there is also the scammers selling you nightmares.
You can find these deals if you look. Buy one get one free cruises, just show your vaccine card. Buy one get one free plane tickets with your vaccine card. Book stays at an exotic hotel where everyone has been vaccinated or have been tested for the virus. All these scams are online and waiting for your credit card.
The post pandemic travel surge is real and plenty of legitimate travel services are offering great deals but you need to be alert to scammers. Avoid suspect travel and vacation websites. Stick to the services, websites and airlines you know about. Be especially cautious buying travel vouchers and airline ticket from places like Craigslist. You need to be alert. These scams are very common and often hurry you into a “great deal” by advertising that the tickets or vouchers will expire in days and you need to grab them now! Don’t ever be rushed into buying anything.
Now you know.
