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Coronavirus: Barrie police warn of COVID-19-related scams

Barrie police are warning residents of several coronavirus-related scams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

One recent scam involves someone calling residents and offering them duct-cleaning services or air filters to protect them from COVID-19.

“There are no services or filters available to protect from COVID-19,” police say.

Another scam involves a fraudulent caller posing as a Public Health Agency of Canada representative selling lists of all the people infected with COVID-19 in a person’s neighbourhood.

“These lists are fake,” police say. “They then try and trick you to give your health card and credit card numbers for a prescription.”

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Officers say there’s also scams of Red Cross and other known charities supposedly offering medical products, like masks and gloves, for a donation. According to police, these are fake.

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In addition to this, officers say, there’s also scams where private companies claim to sell fast COVID-19 tests. These are also fake.

“Remember that only health care providers can perform tests,” police say. “No other tests are genuine or guaranteed to provide accurate results.”

Officers also note that local and provincial hydro and electrical power companies won’t be calling residents to threaten to disconnect power if residents haven’t paid their bills.

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