Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Warns Public of Scams Targeting Those Impacted By COVID-19 After Becoming Target of Internet Impersonators

Amid the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) is warning the public of a growing number of scams targeting individuals impacted by the virus after he became the target of attempted impersonators this week. After anonymous imposters attempted to create false accounts pretending to be him and attempting to defraud his social media followers, Sen. Anwar wants to make sure the public does not fall victim to fraudulent activity.

“I thank my constituents for drawing attention to individuals who attempted to impersonate me and commit fraud against my followers,” Sen. Anwar said. “While those accounts have already been proven fake and were deleted before causing harm, this is just further evidence that some people are attempting to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud others. I advise the public to be wary of anyone trying to obtain their financial information, personal information or offering anything that seems too good to be true. If it seems fraudulent, please ignore it and report it.”

Earlier this week, followers of Sen. Anwar’s social media pages reported they were contacted by individuals through email and online messaging platforms claiming to be Sen. Anwar or working for him. Those individuals then attempted to defraud the followers, one asking for a payment of $500 to schedule a medical appointment with him. Sen. Anwar reminds his followers that his social media accounts do not accept messages and asks them to report any messages from people claiming to be him.

This is only one attempted scam – amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, many others are being attempted. According to the Federal Trade Commission, ignore any unsolicited texts, emails or calls about checks from the government; ignore any online offers for vaccinations and home test kits; hang up on robocalls or unsolicited calls attempting to sell something; watch for emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization, as updates will be posted on websites; and never make donations to charity in cash, by gift card or by wiring money. Various additional scams include COVID-19 related telemarketing calls; attempts to sell products that treat or prevent COVID-19; and attempts to obtain others’ economic stimulus checks, unemployment or financial information. For more information about COVID-19 related scams, and how to report potential fraud to the FTC, please visit this link.