The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, which includes Lafayette, has issued a statement about COVID-19.
“My office and our federal law enforcement partners are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation,” said U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph. “The public should rest assured that the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains open and is working on a daily basis with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect the public and ensure critical law enforcement operations continue without interruption. I am grateful to our attorneys and staff, as well as our law enforcement partners, for their unwavering dedication and commitment during this time.”
Citizens need to follow the advice of health experts in protecting themselves from the virus, but they also need to be alert for scammers and thieves, he said.
“Unfortunately, in troublesome times there are some in our society who try to take advantage of people with schemes designed to defraud them out of their money,” said Joseph. “People should be aware that there are now fraudsters selling false “cures” for COVID-19. The public should get information related to this coronavirus from reputable sources, such as the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to avoid falling victim to scams. I would also ask that anyone who believes they have been targeted in any scam to report it to a law enforcement agency at the earliest opportunity.”
You can also learn more about coronavirus scams here: ftc.gov/coronavirus [ftc.gov].
The public should continue to monitor the bulletins from the CDC (www.cdc.gov/COVID19 [cdc.gov]) for the most accurate and up-to-date information on the fight against COVID-19.
