The COVID pandemic is giving rise to a new brand of criminal activity. In an exclusive interview with KUAM News, the head of the FBI's Honolulu Office, which also oversees Guam, the CNMI and American Samoa, explains how the bad guys are exploiting a virus-fearful public.

Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill is a 30-year veteran of the FBI, appointed to head the regional office in june. "The pandemic has changed the world, everybody knows that," he said. "And one of the ways its changed in the criminal realm is that its provided opportunities for criminals to use the COVID environment to offer new scams and new schemes to defraud."

He says one of those ways is through telemedicine. For example, dubious health experts trying to exploit people online with purported COVID cures.

"We had seen from the outset of COVID that people were offering fraudulent schemes to provide vaccines, to give testing, and again, any opportunity you have where you need to see a doctor you should do that in person when possible, but do it with a trusted doctor, someone who is well known to you and your family," said Merrill.

Like the snake oil salesmen of old, these new digital scammers are after one thing: money. And lots of it. "It is such a big business, it's such a big part of our economy the healthcare industry," said Merrill.

"There's just so much money, whether it be personal funds or government programs like medicare and Medicaid, that the criminals don't need to make that much money off one person, but if they can spread the scheme around to a number of victims which is generally what happens, they can really make a lot of money."

The bottom line is: buyer beware.