A new coronavirus scam targets people whove violated quarantine
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
On September 8th, as the daily coronavirus case count ticked up to 28,550, the executive editor of The Verge received a strange email. “TC Sottek: We would like to inform you that you have been recorded as leaving your home on 3 occasions yesterday. A fine of $59 has been added to your gov.us account.”
The fine had increased from $35 on September 1st, when Andrew J. Hawkins, a transportation reporter, received the same email. Both were told to visit www.gov.us/coronavirus/penalty-payment/tracking for more information.
Unsurprisingly, this was not the US government suddenly taking a more active role in the pandemic. It was a scam, one not particularly attuned to the Trump administration’s hands-off approach to solving the...
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