SALEM — Scammers, fraudsters and price gougers are preying on Oregonians, capitalizing on their concerns about coronavirus.

“There are no known cures or vaccines, yet, for COVID-19. So anyone trying to sell you one is lying,” Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said. “And as for any money that you may eventually get from the federal government, and we hope you will, please be careful because scammers are already scheming on how to intercept all or some of that money.”

Rosenblum and Gov. Kate Brown spoke during a conference call this week with Oregon members of AARP, which had received more than 500 calls on its price-gouging hotline.

“Exploiting the public’s fear for profit will not be tolerated,” Rosenblum said.

Brown this week extended her executive order declaring an abnormal market disruption due to COVID-19. The order authorizes legal action against wholesalers and merchants who provide “essential consumer goods or services for an amount that represents an unconscionably excessive price,” such as at least 15% above the normal price.

Rosenblum said the only other time she could recall the regulation being invoked was during Salem’s water crisis two years ago, when some sellers jacked up prices for bottled water.

Responding to the current price gouging, the Oregon Department of Justice has sent more than 20 cease-and-desist letters to businesses, ordering them to reduce their prices on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, face masks or other essentials. Rosenblum said most businesses complied after learning price gouging was illegal.

Other current scams involve the stimulus payments headed to Americans as part of the federal government’s coronavirus response. Distribution through direct deposit or mailed checks could begin next week.

The official term is “economic impact payment,” but state and federal tax officials warn that scammers will emphasize such words as “stimulus check” or “stimulus payment.”

Rosenblum noted that Oregonians do not need to pay anything up front or give out personal information to receive the payments, despite what scammers might claim.

“The government’s not going to contact you to ask you for your Social Security number or your bank account or your credit card number to confirm your identity. So people who ask for this type of information are scammers,” she said.

“And if they say they’re from the government, they’re what are known as imposter scammers. They’re pretending to be from the government. But they’re not. They’re scammers.”

Most government communications with Oregonians are through mail, although even some of those could be fake demands for money. Rosenblum urged people to take control by looking up the phone numbers or websites of government agencies and contacting them directly when in doubt or suspicious of a scam.

Imposter scams already were the second-most-frequent consumer complaint to the Department of Justice last year. Telecommunications topped the list, and the attorney general predicted a surge of pandemic-related illegal robocalls.

“You’re going to start hearing that voice, whether it’s Rachel from Credit Card Services or Joe, you know, from Coronavirus Central,” Rosenblum said.

As for people selling miracle cures or supposed coronavirus test kits, Rosenblum said, “Ask yourself, if there’d been a medical breakthrough, would you be hearing it for the first time through an ad or a sales pitch?”

To sign up for scam alerts: OregonConsumer.gov

To report coronavirus consumer scams and price gouging: 503-378-8442

To report bias incidents, including ones related to the pandemic, and hate crimes: 1-844-924-BIAS

Federal and state agencies offer these tips:

Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government.

Hang up on robocalls. Never give out Social Security, Medicare, bank or credit card numbers or other personal information to such callers.

Ignore online, door-to-door and other offers for COVID-19 vaccinations, cures and home test kits. None exist.

Be cautious of emails claiming to be from the Oregon Health Authority, CDC or World Health Organization. To get the latest information, go to such websites as healthoregon.org/coronavirus, coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus. And don’t click on links from sources you don’t know.

Don’t give in to pressure from supposed coronavirus charities. Don’t donate in cash, by gift card or by wiring money.

Watch out for online job postings and emails promising you easy money for little to no effort. Disregard emails, private messages and phone calls from individuals whom you don’t know but who claim to be overseas and in need of your financial support. These scams aim to steal your money or use your financial accounts to launder their illicit funds.

Don’t fall for scammers who pose as workplace inspectors or other government employees and demand immediate payment of supposed “fines.” Real government employees carry credentials and never ask for on-the-spot payments.

Sources: Federal Trade Commission, FBI, Oregon Department of Revenue, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and other agencies.