By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The environment remains ripe for scam artists, according to Denise Groene with the Better Business Bureau.
"As we continue to see the COVID-19 pandemic spread, so does uncertainty and fear," Groene said. "Those are the two elements that con artists thrive on. At the Better Business Bureau, we have seen a variety of different scams as we've gone through this pandemic."
One is connected to facemasks.
"By now, most people have a facemask," Groene said. "Especially with kids returning to school, if you're hopping online and looking for another mask to order, be mindful that we are seeing a lot of fake websites. It's very easy for these scam artists to put up a professional, sophisticated looking website. You think you're getting a fun mask, so you go ahead and order. Now, you've given your credit card or debit card information to somebody and in return, you're not going to get a mask in the mail."
Also watch out for 'news' in your email you didn't subscribe to.
"Be mindful of those phishing emails as well," Groene said. "A lot of times they will look like its coming from a legitimate organization, such as the CDC. It may have a link on there that it wants to take you to, to get more information about the latest updates. Keep in mind, the CDC is not emailing out information to consumers, but you can go directly to their website."
In general, government organizations that want to get a hold of you will do so initially via the Post Office. Their first contact with you will not be an email, unless you have opted in.