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Congressman David Trone Hosts COVID-19 Scam Prevention Webinar

April 25th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Congressman David Trone (MD-06) held a scam prevention webinar with hundreds of attendees and a panel of experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

 

This is Trone’s third webinar focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously held webinars on Small Business Resources and Mental Health Resources.

 

This webinar comes after reports of COVID-19 related scams skyrocket across the country. These scams have taken many forms, including the sale of fake COVID-19 testing kits, the offer of delivering cleaning supplies, and the impersonation of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) personnel. 

 

“We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and the last thing people should be worried about is falling victim to a scam,” said Congressman David Trone. “Scams have been reported all across the country targeting all people, including small business owners and the elderly. I want to thank the experts we had on today — the FBI, Maryland Attorney General's Office, and University of Maryland — for joining me and equipping our community with the information to avoid these scams.” 

 

Since coming to Congress, Trone has focused on arming Marylanders with the information they need to protect themselves from scammers. In December before the outbreak of COVID-19, he held a Consumer Protection Workshop in Gaithersburg that featured information about how to avoid scams during the holiday season. He has also helped pass the “TRACED Act,” a new law to help combat the millions of scam robocalls plaguing Americans’ phones every year.

 

The webinar featured presentations from:

  • Special Agent Alfred Watson- Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Jeff Karberg - Director, Identity Theft Program, Maryland Attorney General’s Office
  • Dr. Miriam Laufer – Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine

 

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