The FBI released the below information:
While the COVID-19 crisis has
changed so much about daily life, it has also been a boon for criminals and con
artists.
But the FBI and our partners are
working to protect your family and your wallet.
“The FBI and our law enforcement
partner agencies are very much open for business, and we’ve been very
successful in finding and prosecuting COVID-related cases,” said FBI Financial
Crimes Section Chief Steven Merrill.
Since the onset of the pandemic,
school, work, and many other aspects of social life have moved online. And
while these tools help keep people connected while they are apart, the FBI has
seen a disturbing new crime emerge. Criminals are using virtual meeting
platforms like Zoom to broadcast child sexual abuse material to unwitting
participants of school, church, or other online gatherings.
The FBI has seen more than 300 of
these incidents in the last three months, according to Leonard Carollo, chief
of the FBI’s Crimes Against Children
and Human Trafficking Unit.
Perpetrators usually target a large,
openly publicized Zoom meeting. So if you’re organizing a Zoom meeting,
remember to use a password, disable screensharing, and never share a Zoom link
on an open social media account or website. Instead, send the link individually
to each participant.
If you’ve witnessed the broadcast of
child sexual abuse material during a virtual meeting, notify the FBI. Each time
child sexual abuse material is viewed, the child involved is re-victimized.
That’s why broadcasting these images and videos is a serious violent crime, and
the FBI is committed to apprehending both those who distribute the material and
those who create these egregious images and videos.
“A participant who inadvertently
views these images or videos can also be severely traumatized by just seeing
this material,” Carollo said. “These are very young children who are being
sexually abused. Our goal is to identify and apprehend the people responsible
for these horrific images and videos.”
The FBI is also concerned about a
rise in sextortion as children
spend more time online and out of school. Carollo encouraged parents to have
candid discussions with their children about the dangers of the internet.
“Online child sexual exploitation
occurs everywhere, during all times of the year, in big cities and small towns.
No one is immune,” Carollo said. “The nature of the internet is people have
access to anyone anywhere in the world. So parents need to talk with their
children about these online dangers.”
Protecting Your Kids
- Keep an open line of communication with your children about the dangers of the internet.
- Review your children’s internet, cell phone, social media, and video game activity.
- Ensure the children in your life have a trusted adult they can talk to about online safety concerns, whether it’s a parent, a teacher, a coach, or an adult relative.
- Make sure your children know that people online aren’t necessarily who they say they are, and any image or video they share can stay online forever.
- Report it to law enforcement if your child is coerced into providing a sexually explicit image. Make sure your child knows they are a victim and are not in trouble.
Financial Crimes and Scams
Although fraud schemes from the
early days of the coronavirus pandemic are still happening, many scammers have
now turned their attention to two new targets—unemployment insurance and the Paycheck Protection Program.
Merrill says that the FBI is investigating dozens of cases every day of suspected
fraud against both programs.
With the Paycheck Protection
Program, scammers try to get loans to pay employees they don't have or to
support businesses they created just to get government benefits. Criminals are
also using stolen identities to file unemployment claims and pocketing the
funds for themselves.
The FBI is working closely with
other agencies, as well as banks, to uncover this fraud.
Because banks notify the FBI of
suspicious activity, many criminals use money mules to hide their crimes. Everyone
should learn about money mules and understand
that if you’re participating in a scheme like this, you’re supporting criminal
activity.
“People receiving and moving money
believe they’re doing this for a job or a request of someone, but what they’re
doing is collecting criminal proceeds and laundering them,” Merrill said.
Tips from the public have also been
vital in investigating these cases, and Merrill encouraged the public to report
tips to tips.fbi.gov or ic3.gov.
“Every dollar that is illegally
routed to a criminal is money out of the pocket of a small business owner or an
employee,” Merrill said. “A lot of businesses operate month to month, so time
is of the essence to get this lifeline of support to them. We’re working to get
the funds out of the hands of criminals and back to those who deserve them.”
Protecting Your Wallet
- Learn about common scams and how they work.
- Get medical treatment information from trusted sources like cdc.gov, your doctor, your pharmacist, or your local health department.
- Be wary of unsolicited offers or requests for information, particularly in emails or text messages.
- Don’t be a mule. Money mules may think they’re working a job or helping a friend, but if you’re moving money through your own bank account, you’re helping criminals.
- Report tips about fraud schemes to tips.fbi.gov.
- Report online crime to ic3.gov.
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