CNN | Law enforcement facing onslaught of coronavirus scams that could last for years

(CNN)  One of the most disturbing coronavirus scams Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has seen starts with a phone call.

The number looks like it’s coming from a health care or government official, who tells the person they’ve called that a loved one is in the hospital with coronavirus. The call recipient needs to give credit card information over the phone, now, to prepay the hospital bills.

“Everyone’s so isolated. No one really knows where anybody is,” Nessel said, noting she’s had several friends die from the virus in Michigan, where the number of deaths is already around 1,600, according to a John Hopkins University tally. “It’s so easy to prey upon people when they are literally scared for their lives.”  —more—