we appreciate your time. >> have a happy easter and a greet weekend. . good evening. we have made it to another friday. good friday for christians, and in judaism, passover started this week. tonight, how the faith of your fathers and mothers or whatever your faith might help you find peace in the pandemic. plus, concern about cybercrimes in these times of covid-19. accused scammers under arrest. the lure to a cure that does not yet exist. >> i've created the cure for covid-19, the coronavirus. this is it right here. >> there are also robocalls offering testing and a vaccine. authorities warning none of this is real, except for the fraud.

15,000 consumer complaints thus far. abc's pierre thomas is on the case. >> reporter: in a minnesota suburb that once rang with the sound of children's laughter, the neighborhood has now fallen eerily quiet. >> we miss our routine that we once had, that is now very drastically. >> reporter: they have had their lives turned upside down by covid-19. they are a small business that provides office furniture installation and it has cratered. >> to go to absolutely nothing is shocking. >> reporter: with so many people forced to work from home jobs disappeared. >> a lot of things are racing in our mind to make sure we stay afloat and continue running. >> we feel a responsibility to not only your direct family but also your employees and their families. >> reporter: to counter the loss

of their income, alisha went online to sign up for the emergency loan program pan wand assigned an application number. then something peculiar happened. >> an e-mail landed in the in box and was asking for an irs form to be filled out that would held my social security number, date of birth. >> reporter: but luckily, she noted it had a different application number and sent from a strange e-mail address, giving clues to what it really was, a pfishing attempt, the very type of scam the fbi has been warning about as the covid-19 crisis has exploded. >> not that there's ever a good time to be a victim of identity theft or a scam, but this is absolutely the worst time. >> back now with a new warning from the fbi about coronavirus

scams. >> there are bad actors out there. >> reporter: as americans settle into the surreal, uncertain reality, there's another epidemic unfolding. consumer protection experts warn, scores of scammers are on the hunt looking to pounce. >> there's one thing i've learned, people are dwreedgreed. >> reporter: according to the fbi's financial crimes section, thousands of complaints are pouring in. >> when there's an opportunity for a fraudster to take advantage of something, they will. and in this case they've taken advantage of the pafact we're a very scared, vulnerable and looking for answers. >> reporter: and they're getting creative. with so many americans using new technology to stay connected there are new opportunities for scammers, hackers have derailed meetings, zoom bombings, like this one that disrupt add town

meeting. >> [ bleep ] black people! >> reporter: it said it could track individuals with covid-19 around you, only to shut down your phone. demanding a ransom payment. >> we can qualify you to get a free diabetic monitor and complementary testing kitts f f coronavirus. >> reporter: now they've hit hyperdrive, capitalizing on a nation filled with panic and fear. >> we've seen cases you could call flat extortion where a criminal is contacting an honest person, and basically saying i'm going to come over to your house and find you and give you coronavirus or i'm going to give the coronavirus to your family members or friends if you don't pay us money. >> reporter: u.s. telecom is an i have group aggressively tracking these robocalls back to their sources, which is sometimes international in nature. the goal, to shut them down as quickly as possible. >> it's our level of contribution even though we can't be serving on the front

line in the hospitals. >> reporter: he is one of these keyboard warriors, trying to find perpetrators and flag them to phone carriers. he's working with a california tech company, u-mail and we ginn joined them as they went after a caller. >> this reference to quarantine and all that stuff. >> coronavirus, quarantine, all the good ones. >> reporter: they say they traced the robocall to its source and flagged it to the phone carrier, getting quick results. >> so, within 48 hours of that very first call to shutting it down is really good. >> reporter: then there are some who don't hide in the shadows, accused of openly selling fake cures or dubious health care products. >> you're saying silver solution would be effective. >> let's say it hasn't been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it's been tested on other strains of the coronavirus.

>> reporter: authorities accuse teleevangelist jim baker of promoting a silver solution cure for covid-19, suing them for trying to sell a potion in a bottle for $80. the production company for his tv show says it was his guest who touted the product. the company says they've stopped offering it. litigation is currently pending. meanwhile, in southern california, keith middle brook was an actor who played a police officer, dispensing justice in "iron man two." >> you're under arrest. >> i'm trying to help here. >> reporter: his social media showing a man confident. >> this is keith middle brook. >> reporter: in his success. >> i'm a beautiful mayback. this is a $600,000 car. >> reporter: his latest achievement, he alleged, was finding a so-called cure that has so far eluded the best scientists and u.s. government. he posted this bold claim to his 2 million instagram followers.

>> after studying cell tissues for many years, i've created the cure for covid-19, covid-19, the coronavirus. this is it right here. >> reporter: there is no cure. and middle brook has been arrested and charged with attempted wire fraud, accused of promoting a false claim to lure investors. >> i'm beyond qualified. >> reporter: his attorney says he has no comment at this time at this time. >> people want to get rich quick or whatever the means might be. he was soliciting investment. that would be someone on a much larger scale. >> reporter: but he may be lucky he never ran into this online personality. >> will it help my cat? >> yes. >> reporter: this is kith boga. he wouldn't share his real name with abc news for what he claims are personal safety reasons. >> i talk to criminals primarily, for my job now. >> reporter: kitboga has racked

up hundreds of followers. by turning the table on alleged con artists and scammers, taking on those advertising fake cures for covid-19. >> would you like me to place the order for you? >> reporter: he took me behind the scenes of his operation. all the walls painted green so he can set up fake backgrounds. >> i don't want to waste their time. if i'm talking to them for three hours, that's three hours that they're not talking to someone's grandma. >> reporter: with a background in software programming, he has voice changing. >> right now you should hara old lady coming through. >> if i play an old lady or old man character the scammers are so much more likely to stay on the phone and try to scam me. >> the active ingredient for

this is a proprietary brend of cinnamon, clove bark, lem, eucalyptus, oregano. >> i'm sorry, you're saying you got some stuff from your garden and blended it up? >> reporter: he's fueled and outraged by people who would take advantage of these turbulent times. >> how dare you. >> we're good now. >> are you kidding me? not only is this illegal, but you're lying to people who are desperate. >> i was mad. i thought, man, how am i going to listen to someone lie and say that this, this oil can save my husband or this oil will cure me from the coronavirus and keep a straight face. >> reporter: as these scams run rampant, law enforcement and other officials are urge being consumers to report these attempts. the coles did, only to be told they weren't the first ones to

be targeted. >> i had filed a complaint with the recommendation of the u.s. attorney. and he replied we've already received feedback from small business owners who are received the same scam attempt, and unfortunately, some have fallen for it. >> reporter: and to the scammers, law enforcement with a stern warning. >> the fbi's message is that we will not tolerate it. we will investigate these cases the fullest of our ability and we rely on the united states public to notify us of these cases so we can get on them immediately. >> reporter: and the translation for some of the younger kids, if you do this, we're coming for you. >> that's right. >> our thanks to pierre. next, finding hope and faith in the pandemic this holy week. pastor carl lents. and mariah carey.

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israel taking a braeak from the pandemic to pray. one facing jerusalem, one mecca. earlier today, i spoke with pastor carl lentz of hillsong church in new york. thank you for joining us. this is one of the most important weeks for christian and jewish faiths. >> i have beeni asking people t push the theology to the side and we are god's messengers and angels, even though we are isolated, to take the miracle of technology in 2020 and do everything we can to virtually kent connect to one another. people are connecting, not just in the hundreds but the thousands. it's extraordinary. >> pastor lentz, are you seeing the same thing?

>> really well said, rabbi. we're trying to remind people we are built for this. we remember, and we party. because good friday's the day we remember the sacrifice that was made for us, and we take deep reverence with that and reflect on it. and we know sunday's coming, and that's when we celebrate what we believe to be a new lease on life because of who god is. the traditions look different this year, no easter sunday best coming to church. easter sunday best is probably pajamas, watching online, trying to celebrate on face time. but we're trying to keep our joy in the midst of the storm right now. >> often you have people on television encouraging the partying aspects. a lot more people would come that way if they saw that. >> how have you had to adapt with your services? >> morning, noon and evening prayer services, story time for children, and all this other digital content we feel we are

mandated to put forth because that's what communities do. >> what do you both think about the religious leaders who are holding services with parishioners in person? do you think that's safe? >> religion is meant first and foremost to protect our bodies and our spirits. it has never been meant for us to put ourselves in harm's way. a fundamentalist colleague called me and said please, please send the message out that this is not most of us. it's a few isolated cases of people really acting in an insane manner, but all of us who love god know that we love people together and bring people together spiritually. >> nobody's challenging will right to worship. church isn't about a building. it's about where people are. i'm with the rabbi on though. >> what role does faith play in stressful times? >> we've been reminding people that crisis doesn't change your

faith. it reveals what kind of faith you had before you hit the crisis. i do believe off the back of this pandemic we're going to see a huge influx of people searching out, you know, what their life is really about. and that can be a blessing. >> i'm mindful of an elder who passed away at my old church who said stop telling god how big your problems are. start telling your problems how big your god is. you've personally been touched by this virus, how are you doing? and how has life changed for you? >> i was a rabbi during 9/11 and that that was the worst crisis i'd faced. this is elongated, completely unknown. we don't know when it is that it's going to end. so it's important that we practice self-care, all of us. >> i echo that. i tested positive for corona early. now i'm completely

weeks and weeks without any symptoms, and i'm grateful to god for that. i didn't ask to have this virus, but it has helped me empathize even more with the fear. >> finally, gentlemen, in your own way, in your own faith tradition, in an ecumenical way, speak to our viewers if you would. >> i would say p 35 days ago every conversation we've had was polarized. we made every conversation such that we were fighting for our lives and we weren't. now we actually are. so my prayer to my christian brothers and sisters, muslim brothers and sisters, people who aren't sure they believe at all, that in the midst of this illness, counter intuitively, paradoxically, dear god, help us do what we can actually do, which is to heal our souls. >> pastor? >> god loves you, he is not far from you. if you feel overwhelmed, god is here. if you feel discouraged, even if you feel far from god, he is not

far from you. >> amen, amen. pastor, rabbi, thank you both. in this time, we've all learned good medicine comes in many forms. love, hope, service, courage. thank you both for good medicine tonight. >> thank you. >> pleasure, sir, thank you for having us. and coming up, a star's song of support. ♪ and then t it is to have a safe, reliable vehicle right now, so toyota is here to help. for your peace of mind, many of our service centers are open. if you need to replace your vehicle- toyota will defer your payments for 90 days. w to if you need to replace your vehicle- comes with toyotacare, a no-cost maintenance plan for two years or 25,000 miles. we're here for you. contact your local toyota dealer to see how they can help. toyota to see how they can help. discover a new world ♪

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whaso let's do the rightver chanthing, today.ow. let's stay at home. let's wash up. let's always keep our distance - please, six feet apart at least. let's look after ourselves, as well as others. it will all be worth it. we can all do our part. so those on the front line can do their part. and when this is over, we will all, continue,

to thrive.

and finally tonight, superstar mariah carey rededicating her hit song "hero" to the heroes of the covid-19 crisis. >> i want to take this time and acknowledge the sacrifices of those who work every day taking care of their communities and need in this time of uncertainty. ♪ and then a hero comes along ♪ with the strength to carry on ♪ ♪ and you cast your fears aside ♪ ♪ and you know you can survive ♪ so when you feel that hope is

gone ♪ ♪ look inside you and be strong ♪ ♪ and you finally see the truth ♪ ♪ that a hero lies in >> thank you so much. love you. >> it was confucius who said our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. that's "nightline" for this evening. we'll see you next week at 12:05, 11:05 central. jimmy kimmel is next, good night. have a safe weekend. ♪ ba, ba, ba, ba, ♪ ba, da, ba, ba, da,ba ♪ jimmy kimmel live this is ridiculous. from his house! >> jimmy: hello, fellow quarenteenage mutant ninja turtles. i'm jimmy, welcome to what is either a show or i am having a

paranoid hallucination. who even knows anymore? here's something i learned in quarantine, did you know that you can save a lot of time and bread if you eat the peanut butter straight out of the jar? hello? is anybody listening to me? i never really knew what loneliness was until i started telling jokes to an empty room. tomorrow, i, and hopefully you will be dressing up for a special occasion known as "formal friday." my wife molly came up with this idea a couple weeks ago. to give yourself some sense of normalcy, even if you are alone. put something nice on, once a week. on friday. get all gussied up to eat hot pockets from the back of the freezer. we've been getting a great response to this. many of you have shared your formal friday photos online. >> jimmy: jennifer, alex, betty, and pinky got in the spirit. pinky even accessorized with face masks. >> jimmy: animals are joining in too, whether they know it or not. some parents got the whole

family dressed u