No, the Red Cross is not selling Coronavirus home testing kits. In fact as of now, none exist. It’s despicable I know but the Dark Web is calling this the “golden age for scammers” and this latest scam is one you should watch out for.
Here’s what you need to know:
Scammers impersonating Red Cross workers are doors knocking people’s homes, specifically targeting the elderly, selling what they claim are Coronavirus home tests.
Reports on social media have come in from across the United States, and internationally as well. This is a global scam.
Criminals are going to victim’s doors offering to do the test for the virus for a fee, then charge to do a “test” involving Q-tips and a sample of nasal fluid.
Sometimes the criminals just rob the person once they open the door.
Here is the official notice from the Red Cross from Twitter:
The Red Cross does not provide Coronavirus testing. If someone comes to your home claiming to do so, do not open the door. Get to safety and notify police immediately.
The Takeaway
We are seeing a lot of Coronavirus scams showing up on the Darkweb, everything from fake at-home test kits, fake vaccines, price gouging for chloroquine and N95 masks, sound machines that neutralize the virus and even selling Covid infected blood. Just know that the scammers are working overtime to take advantage of this situation. Be skeptical of anyone who contacts you by email, phone or in person claiming to be from a well known organization. They are probably going to try and scam you of your money and personal information. Your most reliable source of information regarding the Coronavirus/Covid-19 is going to be the CDC:
https://cdc.gov/COVID19 1-800-CDC-INFO
As always, stay safe out there.
-A
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