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Study ranks Memphis #1 for dangerous cities for COVID-related scams

“One thing that scammers really do is they prey upon people’s fears. I think everybody feels vulnerable right now,” said Christian Worstell.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — We have seen it time and time again - scammers. During the pandemic, they are not taking a break. 

According to a study by MedicareAdvantage.com, Memphis is the number one most dangerous city for COVID-19-related scams.

Local 24 News Reporter Brittani Moncrease spoke with one of the company's licensed Medicare insurance agents. 

It is as if we already don't have enough to juggle and worry about. On top of the pandemic, we have scammers, and they've only gotten worse. 

It is time to be on alert possibly now more than ever. 

MedicareAdvantage.com's Christian Worstell said scammers are in full effect during the pandemic. 

“One thing that scammers really do is they prey upon people’s fears. I think everybody feels vulnerable right now,” said Worstell, MedicareAdvantage.com Content Writer and Licensed Medicare Insurance Agent.

If that isn't scary enough, the company's latest study found Memphis was number one when it came to COVID-related scams. 

“There have been 56, reports of 56 COVID-19-related scams since the beginning of the pandemic. That is almost three times as high as New York City,” said Worstell. “The 56 scams that are rooted there in Memphis are two-thirds of COVID-19 scams that are in the state of Tennessee. It’s also worth noting, Memphis actually ranked 12th in the nation for health care and Medicare and Medicaid scams as a whole over the last five years. The framework for something like this was already in place in that market.”

What kind of scams are there?

“We’ve been seeing products advertised or advertising for a cure or prevention of COVID-19,” said Worstell.

Then there's contact tracing scams, charity scams, and even health insurance enrollment scams.

“We’re getting people calling saying we can sell you COVID-19 health insurance coverage or expand health insurance,” said Worstell.

The most vulnerable are the seniors. 

“Seniors are more vulnerable to scams as a whole. Seniors are also more vulnerable to COVID-19. When you put those two together, it’s kind of a perfect storm for targeting seniors,” said Worstell.

Here are the red flags.

“A government agency will not contact you by phone by phone call. Anyone asking for your personal information like your social security number, your banking information, that’s a huge red flag,” said Worstell. “Text messages or emails with spelling or grammatical errors, that’s another red flag.”

If you believe you may have been a victim of a scam, contact law enforcement, the Better Business Bureau, and Federal Trade Commission. 

Also, contact your bank to stop any fraudulent payments.

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