Image of a legitimate drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 16, 2020
Police in Fellsmere, Florida are reporting a creepy incident from this week. They said that a pair of men in “white suits” knocked on a resident’s front door, said they were nurses, and wanted to “check for the virus.” The door-knockers asked if they could entered the home to check the occupant’s temperature, cops said.
To be clear, even cops seem a little uncertain about the details. They provided an update to their initial Facebook post saying that the reporting party wasn’t the alleged victim, so they were trying to find the actual resident. They also revised their account regarding the time the alleged incident happened. At first, they said it occurred at about 10 a.m. on Friday. Now they’re saying it was Thursday.
“Officers are attempting to locate the actual witness so that the most accurate information can be obtained and shared with the community,” cops said.
In any case, there is a pattern of law enforcement agencies reporting alleged or possible scams to take advantage of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. On Monday, police in West Haven, Connecticut announced that they heard reports of individuals going door to door posing as “CDC” officials in order attempt to get access to people’s homes — either to rob them or get their personal information.
Deputies in Palm Beach County, which is the third county south of Fellsmere’s Indian River County, reported a similar scam on Thursday:
There are reports of people dressing in white lab coats, wearing masks and gloves knocking on doors stating that they are from the Department of Health or the CDC and want to test residents for the #Coronavirus.BE ADVISED Representatives from the CDC or Department of Health will not show up at your residence unannounced!
Deputies asked that if anyone arrived at their home “unannounced wearing a white lab coat, mask, and gloves and says they are a representative of the CDC or Department of Health without notifying you first” to call the sheriff’s office at (561) 688-3400, or the nearest law enforcement agency.
The Federal Trade Commission has released advice on how to avoid coronavirus scams: hang up on robocalls without pressing any numbers when prompted; fact-check unverified information; know who you’re buying from; ignore online offers for vaccinations; and don’t click links from sources you don’t know.
[Image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images.]