Coronavirus Scams Awareness

We have all been going through tough times recently due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent social distancing measures and lockdowns. As we continue to go through rough times, we would like to encourage people to be vigilant and attentive with their security, lest you fall victim to one of the many recent COVID-19 scams out there. Here are several of the scams out there.

Vaccination/Treatment/Cure Scams

There have been many reports of email scams involving home remedies, vaccinations, and cures for the COVID-19 virus. The scam aims to ‘convince’ you that they have important updates or medical information to share. It’ll utilize specific vocabulary and formatting to appear legitimate. For more information, you will be prompted to download a file or to click through to a link for further instructions. Doing so will download and expose your system to harmful malware.

Protective Product Scams

Scammers have also been selling protective products like gloves and masks without actually fulfilling any orders. Protective products and coverings are in short supply, so if it isn’t from a trusted and certified manufacturer or supplier, use caution when buying it.

Financial Scams

As this crisis has progressed there have been many financial scams tricking people into giving away their money. It is especially troubling as most of these scams are targeted at the elderly, and with the social distancing measures that are being enforced, the elderly are even more at risk of falling prey to these scams.

Although the elderly are often the target of these types of scams, they aren’t the only ones to fall victim to them. Scammers will use social engineering tactics to trick information out of people and anyone can fall prey to these tactics, so be especially cautious when prompted to provide sensitive information.

Interactive Maps Scams

There have been many interactive maps that track the number of deaths and cases of COVID-19 going around the Internet. While the maps appear to function fine and report accurate information, there is something more nefarious going on in the background of these programs.

Often, these maps need to be downloaded. Packaged along with the map file are hacking programs meant to steal important information. Now, of course, there are some real and secure maps out there, we just encourage you to be more selective when choosing the source of your information.

Phone Call Scams

Phone call scams have also seen an increase since the beginning of this outbreak. If you receive a phone call and are uncertain about the caller or purpose of the call, don’t be afraid of coming off as overly suspicious. There is no harm in hanging up on a phone call and calling the institute or person back. You will be assured in knowing that you personally dialed the number. If you find that a phone call is at all suspicious DON’T give out any of your sensitive information.

Constant Vigilance

During this outbreak it is important that we all be vigilant, not with just our hygiene and health, but also with our security. We would like to just remind everyone to be precautious against hackers and scammers. You're already better off, now that you're aware of these scams.