The combination of fear, loosened health care regulations, and unprecedented cash infusions into the economy create fertile ground for health care scams and fraud. Regulatory flexibilities and deficit spending are both reasonable responses to the COVID-19 crisis, but law enforcement and health regulators will have to be vigilant for the bad actors who are exploiting the COVID-19 emergency and defrauding consumers and payers.

From fake vaccines and cures to subpar personal protective equipment to hoarding and price gouging, indictments and arrests are occurring at an alarming rate. Any further efforts by the United States Congress to further stimulate the economy and address implications of the current public health crisis has the potential to open up additional avenues for fraudulent activity.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a number of steps to relax long-established regulatory requirements and processes in the interest of increasing the capacity of the health care system to address COVID-19 and allowing distressed providers to focus solely on patient care. This includes loosening of restrictions around the provision of medication-assisted treatment via telemedicine by the DEA. In so doing, unethical and fringe providers will have the opportunity to engage in wasteful and fraudulent activities in new ways. Where there’s money and demand, there are sure to be crooks.

Below we track COVID-related scammers and fraudsters who have been subject to federal or state law enforcement or regulatory actions. 

What types of charges is law enforcement bringing for COVID-19 fraud?

_{Table is current as of December 30, 2020}

What types of actions are U.S. regulators taking against individuals engaged in alleged COVID-19 fraud?

_{Table is current as of December 30, 2020}

How many actions have been taken to date?

Table is current as of December 30, 2020

Who is taking action against alleged COVID-19 fraud?

Table is current as of December 30, 2020