The coronavirus pandemic has brought upon numerous changes to the way life is lived over the last couple months, with a shift toward conducting more and more business online being perhaps the most notable.

With that in mind, the Town of Chapel Hill recently issued a warning saying federal agencies have seen a significant increase in scams related to the pandemic.

These scams include: collecting information from those in pursuit of government money through texts, emails and phone calls, fraudulent emails claiming to be from organizations such as the Center for Disease Prevention or the National Health Organization and collecting money through fraudulent sites seeking donations for pandemic relief.

The warning from the town suggests residents should be wary of donating in cash, through gift cards or by wiring money.

There are state and federal resources to use in order to help identify such scams. Both the Internal Revenue Service and the North Carolina Department of Justice have information on their respective websites about scams and fraud related to the pandemic.

To read the full release from the Town of Chapel Hill, visit its website.

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