Global pandemic or not, there will be scammers plotting to make their way into your wallets. As people are told to stay home under quarantine, scammers are finding new ways to swindle the public. According to TMZ, one man has used the COVID-19 pandemic as his cash cow by offering a cure. To make himself seem believable, the man even name-dropped Magic Johnson.
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The publication states that Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, a man from Southern California, was arrested during an undercover sting operation. Federal agents put together a plan to appear as potential investigators in this miracle vaccine. During the operation, Middlebrook reportedly delivered pills to the undercover agent. The alleged fraudster may have used Magic Johnson’s name to capitalize on the rumor that the basketball icon found a cure to treat his HIV.
The fake vaccine was said to be a “patent-pending cure” that could not only treat people who have already contracted the virus, but could prevent infection, as well. It isn’t clear how much money Middlebrook received in total if any. He’s reportedly received a wire fraud charge and is looking at upwards to 20 years in prison. Others have found themselves in trouble with the law over COVID-19 due to coughing on strangers or ignoring quarantine rules.
