U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich spoke with over 16,000 Arizonans this afternoon about how to identify and report coronavirus scams during McSally’s fifth telephone town hall since the coronavirus outbreak.
During the over hour-long call, Brnovich shared scams Arizonans should avoid including people selling “miracle cures and treatments,” people posing as government agents asking for personal information regarding relief checks, and unknown people soliciting COVID-19 donations.
“Make sure that you’re vigilant and you’re suspicious of anyone that contacts you unsolicited,” Brnovich said. “So whether it’s by the phone or it’s by the computer, if someone contacts you unsolicited you should be very careful about what their motives are.”
He told Arizonans to report any suspected scams to his office’s website: azag.gov
McSally answered questions pertaining to the availability of coronavirus testing, securing additional funding for the Payment Protection Program and the status of relief checks.
“It’s so important for Arizonans to remain vigilant of frauds and scams, especially during this crisis,” McSally said. “The federal government is not going to contact you unsolicited and ask for your personal financial information in return for your relief check or other financial support. There are secure ways to share your personal information on IRS.gov, but do not trust unknown persons, callers, or emailers. I’m grateful to Attorney General Mark Brnovich for joining me on my telephone town hall today to share about the scams his office has seen reported. Please report all suspected scams to the Attorney General’s office. If you were unable to join our call today, visit my website at mcsally.senate.gov for the latest updates on COVID-19.”
During the call, McSally asked participants to respond to two poll question about if they had been the target of a coronavirus scam, and if they had received their relief check.
POLL RESULTS:
Have you been targeted by a COVID scam? Nine percent of the people said they had been targeted.
If you are eligible, have you received your relief check? Over half of the people polled said they had not.
BY THE NUMBERS
-16,398 Arizonans participated in the event
-130 Arizonans spoke to a member of Sen. McSally’s team.
-11 people spoke live on the call with Sen. McSally.
-121,323 Arizonans received a voicemail from Sen. McSally inviting them to participate.
