Pandemic scams have raked in as much as $100 million in US

A new study shows Coronavirus scammers are approaching a $100 million milestone with California, Florida and New York as the most targeted states.

Coronavirus scams have at least doubled in nearly every state since March when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.

SocialCatfish.com today released a study on Coronavirus Scams by State based on data from the FTC from March through July.

• The five most-targeted states as of mid-July include No. 1 California (10,938 FTC complaints, up 110% since March), No. 2 Florida (7,244 complaints, up 124%), No. 3 New York (6,677 complaints up 134%), No. 4Texas (6,427 complaints up 122%) and No. 5 Pennsylvania (4,245 complaints, up 201%).
• The five states seeing the largest percentage increase include No. 1 Maine: 422% increase with 830 scam reports up from 159 in March; No. 2 Philadelphia: 201% increase; No. 3 North Dakota: 182% increase; No. 4 Ohio: 171% increase and No. 5 Louisiana: 170% increase.
• Nationally, the FTC has registered more than 150,000 reports of fraud costing victims $97.5 million.

If you encounter a coronavirus scam, contact local law enforcement or file a complaint with the FTC.