WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema spoke in a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on coronavirus scams in Arizona, how they endanger Arizona families and businesses, and how Sinema’s bipartisan legislation provides the Federal Trade Commission additional tools to prevent scams.
“As the pandemic creates significant challenges for American families and small businesses, scammers use the pandemic to defraud Americans, including our seniors,” said Sinema.
During her remarks in the hearing, Sinema highlighted a new scam in Arizona involving Sonora Quest. Sinema noted how this week, Sonora Quest – one of Arizona’s major private lab companies – alerted patients that scammers are posing as Sonora Quest representatives to steal personal information from patients. Sinema questioned FTC officials on how the agency can better protect Arizona businesses, families, and seniors from scam artists during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sinema partnered with the Arizona Attorney General to raise awareness and warn Arizonans about some common coronavirus scams. These scams can include selling fake coronavirus vaccines or unproven treatments to scared families and individuals. Scammers have targeted Arizona seniors and threaten to cut off stimulus payments or food assistance if they don’t share personal information. Scammers have also distributed counterfeit personal protective equipment, which can endanger the lives of medical professionals and first responders.
Additionally, Sinema teamed up with Republican Senators Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) to introduce bipartisan legislation that expands FTC authority to stop false advertising during the coronavirus pandemic by increasing civil and criminal penalties on scammers.
Sinema has a resources page on her website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, for Arizonans looking for updated information in English and Spanish on the coronavirus.
