COVID-related scams cost Americans $382m

Fraud linked to COVID-19 has cost Americans $382 million, according to the US Federal Trade Commission.

Federal data showed that as of March 23, more than 217,000 people had filed a coronavirus-related fraud report with the agency since January 2020. The median loss was $330.

Seniors reported the largest losses related to coronavirus scams. The median loss for those in their 80s was $900 and $500 for people in their 70s.

Criminals have stolen money via a number of scams: those related to stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, COVID-19 vaccines, fake virus cures and charities, for example.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fielded 542,300 complaints in 2020, up 54 percent from 2019, CNBC reported.

Americans submitted more than 3,000 complaints containing coronavirus keywords nearly every month starting in April 2020, according to the bureau, a federal agency that polices financial wrongdoing impacting consumers.