Free webinar deals with COVID-19 scams

Have you received a call from the IRS asking for personal information, so you can receive your stimulus check?

If so, it’s a scam, and the Crime Prevention Unit of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office can help. 

The Crime Prevention Unit is hosting an educational webinar at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4 to discuss the most common COVID-19 scams.

“A lot of it is similar scams we’ve seen in the past, but obviously, they put a twist on it,” Lt. Robert Andrews said. “We want to drive home the fact that these scammers are still out there and still looking for opportunities.”

One such example is for scammers to try to get personal information by claiming they can help someone who is unemployed get a job.

Andrews said the webinar will provide residents an opportunity to learn about the scams happening as a result of COVID-19 while staying safe at home.

“We’ve always seen scams, but generally, what we see with the scammers is they’ll latch on with something that’s happening with current times,” Andrews said. “They’ll take an old scam and make it fit to work.”

The webinar is open to everyone because anyone could be a potential victim, Andrews said.

“Education is the biggest key,” he said. “We hope that by educating people when they get phone calls, text messages or emails, they’ll recognize [potential scams], so they don’t become victims.”

To participate in the webinar, call the Crime Prevention Unit to provide an email address and reserve a spot. On Sept. 4, participants will receive an email with a Zoom link to the webinar. If you can’t participate in the first webinar, you’ll be put on a waiting list for a future webinar.

The Crime Prevention Unit will try to host a webinar once per week about scams and other educational presentations the unit used to have in person before the pandemic started.

Andrews said the COVID-19 pandemic made the Crime Prevention Unit change the way it interacts with the public because it cannot host large events.