Georgia and federal prosecutors announce new coronavirus fraud task force

Georgia’s leading state and federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday, April 7, a new Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud Task Force, aimed at better protecting the citizens of Georgia from criminal fraud arising as a result of the pandemic.

The task force will enhance communication between partner agencies and more rapidly share information about COVID-19 fraud, while ensuring each fraud complaint is reported to the appropriate prosecuting agency, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine.

Task force member agencies include the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern, Middle and Southern district of Georgia, three U.S. Attorneys and the Executive Counsel for the Governor’s Office.

“My office is honored to work with this task force in our state’s fight against the spread of COVID-19. As a team, we are committed to putting Georgians first to ensure their safety and well-being as we address this public health state of emergency,” said Gov. Brian Kemp.

“Our office has received hundreds of complaints regarding scams, price gouging and other issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we won’t tolerate those who are taking advantage of consumers and interfering with our frontline workers’ response to the crisis,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “This partnership between the State of Georgia and our U.S. Attorneys will enable us to work together to investigate and, as appropriate, prosecute those who violate our laws. We will leave no stone unturned as we protect all Georgians.”

“Opportunistic criminals are targeting the most vulnerable among us with COVID-19 scams, but our office and law enforcement and prosecutorial partners remain vigilant,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We strive to detect, investigate and prosecute criminal conduct, and reassure our law-abiding citizens that their safety and security is our primary focus.”

Within each task force member agency, an appointed fraud complaint coordinator will oversee the cases and remain in regular contact with partner law enforcement agencies. The appointed coordinators are: Jim Crane, assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia; David Dove, executive counsel, Office of the Governor of Georgia; Anne Infinger, deputy Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, Office of the Attorney General of Georgia; Russell Phillips, assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia; and Patrick Schwedler, assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.

The public is urged to be on the lookout for any of these COVID-19 scams, which can be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (866-720-5721) or to the NCDF e-mail address disaster@leo.gov:

• Treatment scams: Scammers are selling fake vaccines, medicines and cures for COVID-19.
• Supply scams: Scammers are claiming they have in-demand products, like cleaning, household, health and medical supplies, but when an order is placed, the scammer takes the money and never delivers the order.
• Charity scams: Scammers are fraudulently soliciting donations for non-existent charities to help people affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Scammers often use names that are similar to the names of real charities.
• Phishing scams: Scammers, posing as national and global health authorities, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sending fake emails or texts to trick the recipient into sharing their personal information like account numbers, Social Security numbers, or login IDs and passwords.
• App scams: Scammers are creating COVID-19 related apps that contain malware designed to steal the user’s personal information after it is downloaded.
• Provider scams: Scammers pretending to be doctors and hospitals that have treated a friend or relative for COVID-19, and demand payment for that treatment.
• Investment scams: Scammers are promoting the stock of small companies, which have limited publicly available information, using false or misleading claims that the companies’ stock will increase dramatically due to the COVID-19 outbreak, such as claims that a company can prevent, detect or cure COVID-19.

The Consumer Protection Division (CPD) of the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia has received more than 600 complaints of price gouging or scams related to COVID-19, the majority regarding food, toilet paper, water and hand sanitizer. The public can file complaints with the CPD by calling 800-869-1123 or consumer.ga.gov.