COLUMBIA, Miss. (WDAM) – COVID-19 is causing concern and anxiety for many, and scammers are trying to take advantage of it.

State Auditor Shad White says its something is office has been seeing more of and offered ways to avoid falling for these scams.

“The main thing we’re seeing, and I think a lot of investigators and law enforcement are seeing over the last few months, are scams that come to you via your email inbox,” White said.

White said his office has seen an increase in scammers as COVID-19 has progressed.

“People are trying to use this pandemic as an opportunity to trick you into clicking on an email, into clicking on a link in an email,” White said. “And they may say things like ‘I’ve got critical COVID-19 information, I’ve got new information about a treatment my company has found.’”

White adds these scams are typically targeting the elderly.

To protect yourself, you need to be careful about emails you open and any links inside of them.

But email scams are not the only ones to keep an eye out for.

“People are stealing people’s identity and applying for unemployment benefits on their behalf and getting the dollars directly deposited into the fraudster’s account,” White said.

White said anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a scam can contact his officer or the Department of Justice.