MARCH 27, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
Be wary of pandemic scams
Opinion
The new great generation
The Greatest Generation saved
the world for democracy and hu-
manity during World War II. They
lived through and survived The
Great Depression. Now their de-
scendents are living through a chal-
lenge just as big.
We all know that the coronavirus
(COVID-19) has upend-
ed the globe. The virus is
reaching into the remot-
est areas. Oregon is under
a shelter-in-place order
as well as an order for all
non-essential businesses to
close to assure social dis-
tancing. Yet, there is more
traffi c than one would
think necessary.
We have to buy groceries while
we hunker down, non-elective
medical appointments need to be
kept, there are prescriptions to be
picked up.
From the beginning of the pan-
demic experts have told the public
that the spread of the virus can be
slowed if everyone follows the di-
rectives regarding washing hands
and keeping at least six feet from
others. Unfortunately, not every-
one heeds that and the country is
now facing what could be the worst
weeks of the crisis.
At press time, Congress and the
Trump Administration had agreed
to a $2 trillion economic package
to help businesses, the health care
industry and citizens. The proposal
provides $1,200 in direct payments
to taypayers with in-
comes up to $75,000;
families would receive
an additional $500
per child. This would
create a safety net for
those whose employ-
ment and business-
es are affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Economists expect the nation to
shed millions of jobs as businesses of
all sizes close their doors or reduce
their operations. The economic
package would extent unemploy-
ment benefi ts by 13 weeks.
The $2 trillion economic pack-
age will alleviate some of the na-
tion’s suffering but it won’t make
COVID-19 dissipate. The president
says we are in a war against the coro-
navirus. We all have our part to play
in slowing the virus, though it will
call for sacrifi ce—this is nothing less
zaitz
writes
than our collective struggles during
The Great Recession or World War
II.
Society must look out for each
other. What assistance can we offer
to those less fortunate? For those
less mobile? Offering to make gro-
ery store runs would be a valuable
service to shut-ins or the elderly.
For those who bought hundreds
of rolls of toilet paper, consider shar-
ing some with neighbors who were
not so lucky to get what they need.
Consideration, patience and tol-
erance are just as important to soci-
ety now as distancing and washing
hands.
One thing we do know is that
nothing lasts forever. No one knows
when the pandemic will end. We
must not lose hope that medical ex-
perts will eventually develop a vac-
cine. We must not lose faith in the
systems that are designed to protect
us.
While we all live through this it is
important that we stayed informed,
remain vigilant and look out for our
fellow man. The heirs of the Great-
est Generation are fi ghting this new
battle with the same fervency as
their forebears.
—LAZ
Must we kill the economy to kill the virus?
By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN
“We cannot let the cure be
worse than the problem itself,”
tweeted the president on Sunday
night, adding that, after the current
15-day shutdown, “we will make a
decision as to which way we want
to go.”
President Trump is said to be pri-
vately expressing a deepen-
ing concern at the damage
the coronavirus shutdown is
doing to the U.S. economy
and debating whether it can
be safely reopened.
Though castigated for his
remark, Trump has a point.
The U.S. is rightly using ex-
treme measures to meet the threat
and control the virus that threat-
ens the lives of millions of Ameri-
cans, with the elderly sick foremost
among them. And we need to do
so without killing the economy
upon which scores of millions of
other Americans depend.
Clearly, America was unpre-
pared for this pandemic.
And there will be time enough
to assess responsibility for the lack
of surgical masks, medical gowns,
rubber gloves, respirators, ventila-
tors and hospital beds.
The immediate imperative is to
produce those beds and that equip-
ment and get it delivered to doc-
tors, nurses and hospital staff, the
front-line troops in the battle to
control the virus.
However, during this shutdown,
all “nonessential businesses” are be-
ing closed and their workers sent
home to shelter in place and to
keep “social distance” from friends
and neighbors to minimize the risk
of spreading this easily transmissi-
ble virus.
Unfortunately, what is “nones-
sential” to some—bars, restaurants,
hotels, stores, cruise ships, tourist
sites, shops, malls—are
places of employment
and indispensable sources
of income for millions of
other Americans.
Close the businesses
where these Americans
work and you terminate
the paychecks on which they de-
pend to pay the rent and buy the
food and medicines they and their
families need to shelter and live.
And if the salaries and wages on
which workers depend are cut off,
how are these millions of newly
unemployed supposed to live?
How do those who follow the
instructions of the president and
governors to remain in their homes
get their prescriptions fi lled and
buy the food to feed their families?
How long can the shutdown be
sustained if the necessities of life
for the unemployed and unpaid
begin to run out? Is it necessary to
create an economic and social cri-
sis to solve the medical crisis?
“We had to destroy the village
in order to save it,” was a remark
attributed to a U.S. Army offi cer in
the Vietnam War. Must we cripple
or destroy the economy to res-
other
voices
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cue the American nation from the
coronavirus crisis of 2020?
Then there is the matter of time.
Many Americans can survive on
what they have on hand for two or
four weeks. Far fewer can survive
without income for two or four
months.
If we shut down the economy,
what will we have when the med-
ical crisis passes, be that in May,
June, July, August or September?
Will all those nonessential busi-
nesses we put to sleep come back
to life?
The free market system that is
the legacy of Hamilton and the
Founding Fathers is the world’s
best design for the distribution of
goods and services and ensuring
prosperity. And in a population
where life expectancy is decades
beyond what it was in the early
20th century, there are government
programs to provide the necessities
of life for those who can no longer
access or afford them.
But businesses are needed to de-
liver the goods.
And if, by government com-
mand, America’s free economy is
partly shut down as unessential in
this medical crisis, the government
could be responsible for imposing
the conditions that lead to social
disorder.
At some point, the country
is going to have to open up the
supply chains and take the risks
to let the market work to provide
food—or people will engage in
panic buying, hoarding and using
any means to get what they need
for themselves and their families.
Reports of folks in this heav-
ily armed nation stocking up on
guns and ammunition suggest
a widespread apprehension of
what may be coming.
If the medical crisis is allowed
to induce an economic crisis
that leads to a social crisis, the
American political system, our
democratic system, may itself be
severely tested.
Lest we forget: In the great-
est crisis in this nation’s history,
in which the issue was whether
the American Union would be
severed into two nations, Abra-
ham Lincoln suspended the right
of habeas corpus, shut down state
legislatures, closed newspapers,
jailed journalists and was pre-
pared to arrest the chief justice.
And for the dictatorial measures
he took, and for waging the
bloodiest war in U.S. history,
against fellow Americans, Lin-
coln is now regarded by many as
our greatest president.
As the COVID-19 takes a grow-
ing toll on people’s pocketbooks,
there are reports that the govern-
ment will soon be sending money by
check or direct deposit to each of us.
The details are still being worked out,
but there are a few important things
to know, no matter what the fi nan-
cial injections total.
1. The government will not ask
you to pay anything up front to get
this money. No fees. No charges. Not
anything.
2. The government will not call to
ask for your Social Security number,
bank account, or credit card number.
Anyone who does is a scammer.
3. The checks aren’t yet a reality.
Anyone who tells you they can get
you the money now is a scammer.
No matter what this payment
winds up being, only scammers will
ask you to pay to get it.
Some examples of scams already
linked to COVID-19 include:
Testing scams: Scammers are
selling fake at-home test kits or go-
ing door-to-door performing fake
tests for money.
Treatment scams: Scammers are
offering to sell fake cures, vaccines,
and advice on unproven treatments
for COVID-19.
Supply scams: Scammers are
creating fake shops, websites, social
media accounts, and email address-
es claiming to sell medical supplies
currently in high demand, such as
surgical masks. When consumers at-
tempt to purchase supplies through
these channels, fraudsters pocket the
money and never provide the prom-
police scanner
SUNDAY, MARCH 15
THURSDAY, MARCH 19
• 5:04 p.m. - Arrest for shoplifting on
3800 block River Rd N.
• 10:33 p.m. - Criminal mischief and
crime damage on 4400 block River Rd
N.
• 1:23 a.m. - Shoplifting on 4300 block
River Road N.
• 8:04 a.m. Felon in possession of weap-
on on Russett Drive N and Birchwood
Court N.
• 8:25 a.m. - Unlawful entry in vehicle
and attempt crime on 6900 block Pierce
Drive N.
• 10 p.m. - Fraudulent use of credit card
on 7600 block Wheatland Road N.
• 3:08 p.m. - DUII and failure to perform
duties of driver when property is dam-
aged on River Road N and Chemawa
Road N.
• 5:31 p.m. - Shoplifting on 3800 block
River Road N.
• 8:30 p.m. - Stolen vehicle on 1100
block McGee Court NE.
• 10:43 p.m. - Strangulation on 3400
block Cherry Ave NE.
MONDAY, MARCH 16
• 1 a.m. - Criminal mischief and crime
damage on 4000 block Arleta Ave NE.
•12 a.m. - Theft by deception/false pre-
tenses on 4900 block Rickman Rd NE.
• 3:15 p.m. - Traffi c accident on Verda
Lane NE and Wiessner Drive NE.
• 5:02 p.m. - Sudden death on 3800
block 3rd Ave N.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17
• 12 a.m. - Theft from vehicle on 5900
block Trail Ave NE .
• 12:51 a.m. - Physical harassment on 900
block Koala Street N.
• 11:15 a.m. - Arrest for assault on 700
block Chemawa Road N.
• 5:21 p.m. - Sudden death on 700 block
Lockhaven Drive NE.
• 5:24 p.m. - Arrest for unlawful posses-
sion of methamphetmine and restraining
order violation on 5000 block Briarwood
Circle N.
• 8:30 p.m. - Arrest for unlawful posses-
sion of methamphetmine, identity theft
and tampering with drug records on
5000 block River Road N.
• 9:05 p.m. - Criminal trespass on 5100
block Bailey Court NE.
• 9:44 p.m. - Arrest for warrant and un-
lawful possession of methamphetmine on
4300 block River Road N.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
• 10 a.m. Physical harassment on 1800
block Drexler Lane NE.
• 6 a.m. - Criminal trespass on 5800
block Keizer Station Blvd.
• 6 a.m. -Theft from vehicle on 3600
block River Road N.
• 9:34 a.m. - Physical harassment on
6900 block Ridgetop Drive NE.
• 11:31 a.m. - Bench warrant on 800
block Foothill Court NE.
• 11:47 a.m. - Telephone harassment on
4200 block Tiffany Place NE.
• 2:16 p.m. - Assault on 500 block Rose
Park Lane NE.
• 2:53 p.m. - Menacing use/display
weapons, resisting arrest and disorderly
conduct on 800 block Manbrin Drive
NE.
• 8 p.m. - Theft from vehicle on 400
block Hornet Court N.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
• 10 a.m. - Arrest for assault on 100 block
Delta Court N.
• 11:44 a.m. - Theft from vehicle on 4400
block Thorman Ave NE.
• 4 p.m. - Burglary residence on 800
block Plymouth Drive NE.
• 8:10 a.m. - Theft from vehicle on 5000
block Joan Drive N.
SATURDAY, MARCH 21
• 10 a.m. - Arrest for assault on 100 block
Delta Court N.
• 1:29 a.m. - Arrest for assault on 3600
River road N.
• 11:26 a.m. - Bench warrant on Lock-
haven Drive NE and Kafi r Drive NE.
• 3:25 p.m. - Criminal trespass on 5800
block Keizer Station Blvd.
• 4:21 p.m. - Shoplifting on 5400 block
River Road N.
• 5:02 p.m. - Warrant served on 6800
block Jerdon Court N.
• 5:40 p.m. - Shoplifting on 6000 block
Ulali Drive.
• 11:54 p.m. - Traffi c accident on 4900
block Elizabeth Street N.
SUNDAY, MARCH 22
• 3 a.m. - Theft from vehicle on 4000
block Brooks Ave NE.
• 9:29 a.m. - Violate release agreement
on 1200 block Clearview Ave NE.
MONDAY, MARCH 23
• 3:15 a.m. - Unlawful entry vehicle with
intent to commit theft on 1500 block Al-
der Drive NE.
sudoku
(Creators Syndicate)
letters
The power
of prayer
To the Editor:
Keizer residents: I am form-
ing a “virtual” club. It is called
P.A.C.C.T., People Against Cli-
mate Change (and Coronavirus)
Today. We can’t gather, but we
can do what this club requires.
We can join in spirit and in
prayer to call on the God that
makes all things new. I hope you
will join me in earnest and hum-
ble prayer and I look forward
to the day that we may meet in
person.
Nancy Vowell
Keizer
ised supplies.
Provider scams: Scammers are
contacting people by phone and
email, pretending to be doctors and
hospitals that have treated a friend
or relative for COVID-19, and de-
manding payment for that treatment.
Charity scams: Scammers are
soliciting donations for individu-
als, groups, and areas affected by
COVID-19.
Phishing scams: Scammers pos-
ing as national and global health au-
thorities, including the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Preven-
tion (CDC), are sending phishing
emails designed to trick recipients
into downloading malware or pro-
viding personal identifying and fi -
nancial information. Scammers of-
ten employ addresses that differ only
slightly from those belonging to the
entities they are impersonating. For
example, they might use “cdc.com”
or “cdc.org” instead of “cdc.gov.”
App scams: Scammers are cre-
ating and manipulating mobile
apps designed to track the spread of
COVID-19 to insert malware that
will compromise users’ devices and
personal information.
Keep up to date with the latest
Coronavirus-related scams at www.
ftc.gov/coronavirus or by signing up
to get these consumer alerts. If you
or someone you know believe you’ve
been the target or victim of an out-
break-related fraud scheme, please
contact the FBI’s Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3) by visit-
ing www.IC3.gov.
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