Attorney General, Department of Health and Division of Consumer Affairs Warn of Possible H1N1 Flu Scams

Consumers should be aware of a host of fraudulent claims popping up on Web sites all over the Internet. Among them are claims for drugs such as “Tamiflu,” which may or may not be legitimate. In addition, some Internet sites are merely ploys to possibly steal your personal information and commit identify theft.

 

The Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have put out notices warning of such scams as a “(H1N1) Flu Survival Guide” for $19.95 and e-mails with links to online pharmacies. Some people have reported getting e-mails with the phrase "(H1N1) Flu" in the subject line. The e-mails can have links to ads for a supposed flu medicine.

 

“Clicking on a spam Web site can be dangerous to your health and your credit,” Attorney General Bob Cooper said. “It’s possible for someone to steal your credit card information or to trick you into buying bogus medicine or a worthless product.”

 

Attorney General Cooper warns against opening any spam e-mails that purport to sell products against the swine flu.

 

“It is very important when dealing with health officials to make sure you seek the advice of licensed medical professionals and only use FDA approved products for the particular disease,” said Commissioner Susan Cooper, MSN, RN of the state Department of Health.

 

Reliable information about the novel H1N1 flu virus is available on the Web sites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ or the Tennessee Department of Health at http://health.state.tn.us/H1N1.htm.

 

Attorney General Cooper offered the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of a potential flu scam:

 

*Avoid opening questionable e-mail or attachments. Delete the e-mail or forward it to spam@uce.gov to report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

 

*Be cautious of online offers for vaccinations and treatments. For more information on (H1N1) flu, go to www.cdc.gov.

 

*Make sure anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date and all operating system security patches have been installed.

 

*You may also want to take some simple steps to protect your credit from identity theft such as:

 

*Carefully review your credit, debit and bank account records. If you do not recognize a charge, notify your creditor and question the charge.

 

*Regularly review your credit reports. You may receive a free copy from each of the three credit reporting companies each year at annualcreditreport.com.

 

*Also, notify your creditor if your bills do not arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed the address to cover his or her tracks.

 

*Destroy all unnecessary files containing Social Security numbers, account numbers, and birth dates before disposing of them. Shred documents containing private information and install hard drive shredding software to destroy your hard drive before discarding a home computer.

 

If you are a victim of identity theft, call the police and the bank or the credit card issuer immediately in addition to notifying the three major credit reporting agencies. The Federal Trade Commission provides valuable information including steps to take in reporting and resolving the crime of identity theft at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. You may also contact them at 1-877-438-4338.

 

Consumer Affairs Director Mary Clement said, “Consumers who have sought treatment from a purveyor of unsubstantiated cures to diseases, including the H1N1 flu should contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-342-8385 (toll-free inside Tennessee) or (615) 741-4737. Consumers can report similar problems to the Department of Health by calling the Office of Investigations at 1-800-852-2187.”