Sadly, scam and fraudulent activity are on the rise related to the COVID-19 pandemic and are tied to everything from schemes to obtain personal information related to small business loans to health care fraud. We strongly urge our customers and members to be aware of these heightened alerts and not fall prey to these schemes that seek to access consumers' personal information.
We've been made aware of this activity with reports of calls to our customers in recent weeks. Please be aware that scammers are making phone calls posing as SkyLine/SkyBest, offering to help fill out small business loan applications. SkyLine/SkyBest will not call to offer assistance on filling out loan applications. This is a scam, and you should not share your personal information over the phone. If you have any questions or concerns please call us at 1-800-759-2226.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also is warning the public about several emerging health care fraud schemes related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Criminals are actively manipulating the COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage," said Calvin A. Shivers, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. "We ask all Americans to remain vigilant to avoid falling victim to these schemes."
Bad actors are selling fake COVID-19 test kits and unapproved treatments through telemarketing calls, social media platforms, and door-to-door visits. Many scammers are promising free care to patients in order to gain access to their personal and health insurance information,
including their dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and financial data. Be extremely vigilant in protecting your personal information.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have identified a growing list of sellers of unapproved and misbranded products, claiming they can treat or prevent the Coronavirus but with no evidence to back up their claims as required by law.
For more information about the latest scams associated with COVID-19, please visit www.ftc.gov.
Phony Email Delay Warnings
In a more recent development, we have received reports from customers who received notification from an email address with SkyBest Support in the name that alerts the customer that delivery of emails have been delayed for 48 hours due to an authentication error in their domain. The email instructs them to select buttons (links) to unblock their undelivered emails. This is a scam that intends to extract personal information such as passwords from customers. SkyLine/SkyBest would not request this information by email. Please use extra caution when reviewing incoming emails, including the email address provided. If you suspect the email in question is not legitimate, do not respond to it, and please report it to us.