WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned the general public about scammers preying on the pandemic, and has also launched a website dedicated solely to COVID-19 related scams.

Some of the scams uncovered by the agency thus far include promises of free testing kits being delivered overnight to people’s homes, as well as other solicitation-related calls about protecting people from the virus.

Over the last two weeks, the FBI’s Internet crime center has received more than 1,000 reports from potential victims.

“It is preying on members of the public, their fears and their vulnerabilities,” said Bridget Patton, the FBI’s Kansas City media representative.

Potential “cures” deemed fraudulent are among the cases the FBI has investigated, along with government impersonators going door-to-door to convince residents of new testing or equipment needed, work-from-home schemes where criminals promise easy jobs with a quick paycheck, and investment fraud, similar to get-rich-quick schemes.

Children who are at home during the pandemic are also potentially at high risk for exploitation according to the FBI’s new website, which can be viewed at FBI.gov/coronavirus.

People are being urged to be cautious of any unexpected messages, even if they seem to be from someone who sounds trustworthy.

“We want people to be aware that these scams are happening,” Patton said, according to a report from KAKE Televison in Wichita. “It may be something as easy as a misspelling in an email address.”

The FBI is urging skepticism whenever people receive an unexpected call on services, “opportunities” or other situations relating to the coronavirus, especially from representatives claiming to be from the government.

“We are a very trusting society, the government is not going to reach out to you in that fashion,” Patton said.

A running list of news items can also be found on the website, which includes potential scams, allegations of fraud, the hacking of Zoom teleconferences and more.

A rise in business email scams is expected to take place in the coming weeks according to the website, as are potential “money mule” schemes exploiting the pandemic.