Multiple Faces Detected
January 21st, 2026
As we are all quarantining in our homes to stay safe from the coronavirus, we are paying more attention to news sources wondering when this mess will all be over. Instead of getting the news we hope for, we instead get news of scammers continuing to take advantage of people while using the coronavirus as leverage for coronavirus burglaries.
Instead of scamming people online, some scammers take stealing money to a whole new extreme. They have now resorted to coming up with some excuse to go into someone’s business or home and robbing their valuables.
Fake Coronavirus Tests Lead to Homes Being Robbed
Burglars are dressing up in full lab gear and pretending they are from the CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) as they go to people’s houses. Once they get there, they either offer these homeowners medical advice about COVID-19 or they offer to give them so-called coronavirus tests.
Once they gain the homeowners’ trust, they then proceed to try and rob them of all the valuables they can take. Local police offices are warning their communities of this scam so that their citizens are aware, and they keep their doors closed to any lab coat-wearing stranger.
Restaurants in L.A. Suffer From Coronavirus Burglaries Due to Lack of Customers
Chef Kang Sul Box, a Koreatown restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, was robbed on a Monday night since customers were not sitting and eating in the restaurant due to the coronavirus. The robbers took cash, blank checks, a wallet, car keys, and credit cards.
A man had come into the restaurant to order food and was changing his order multiple times to stall on what was really going on. He even offered a faulty credit card before offering another type of payment so that the transaction could take longer.
As he was waiting for his order, one of his friends went through the back door and found the office upstairs in the restaurant. He then stole $3,500 in cash, the owner’s wallet and car keys, the restaurant’s keys, and a bunch of blank checks.
Once his friend was done stealing these items, the man tried to leave out the back door before his order was finished. The owner tried telling him that his order wasn’t ready, but they were long gone before he could inform the customer of this.
After checking security footage, the owner saw this man climb into the car in the backloading zone with the friend who stole the restaurant’s finances. The friend was also on the security footage stealing the restaurant’s assets.
The owner’s other restaurant, Shuto Izakaya, was also robbed with $2,800 in cash, car and store keys, and credit cards stolen. He has changed both restaurants’ locks and will have both doors locked during business hours. He is also going to hire security for the front of his restaurants to protect from this situation ever happening again.
Saikai Ramen Bar, another restaurant in Koreatown, was also broken into. The front door was smashed, but the owners were unable to tell if anything was stolen. The police caught this suspect.
How to Avoid Coronavirus Burglaries
- Don’t let any strangers into your house for any reason. We all need to be social distancing, so there should be no reason as to why someone you don’t know would want to go into your house. People are not bringing tests to your house, you have to interview with a doctor for one and go to an official testing site or doctor’s office to receive one. Don’t believe anyone who comes to your house and offers you a coronavirus test, and protect yourself from coronavirus burglaries.
- If you own a business, make sure all entrances are secured. To prevent people from sneaking into your business without you knowing, it is always a good idea to have all your business doors locked that you’re not using. For the door being used, hire a security guard to keep an eye out for the door or one of your employees. This will prevent any unwanted people from coming into your business and taking your hard-earned finances.
- Keep all valuables in a safe locked up during business hours. If someone manages to sneak in your business, its always good to keep your valuables locked up and hidden so that they can’t find them. If you leave them out, there is more of a chance these burglars could take your items.
- Don’t fall for anyone claiming to do coronavirus tests if they’re not at the official testing site or doctor’s office. If someone comes to your door claiming to have the coronavirus test, then they are flat out lying! Do not answer the door for anyone in a lab coat, and continue to social distance. Only trust doctors or official testing sites when it comes to getting your coronavirus testing done.
If you have any personal information of someone who you suspect does not have good intentions, feel free to reverse search any information you have at Social Catfish! Whether they are walking around in your neighborhood knocking on doors, or looking sneaky in your store or restaurant on a daily basis, we got you covered. Make sure that your customers or neighbors are who they say they are by looking up any known information you have.
