March 2020

March 31, 2020

Fraud in the Midst of COVID-19

Brian Thompson Breach, General, Identity Theft

With the growing Coronavirus impact on our society, scams are also growing exponentially. Below is a summary of several of the most common scams, and resources to help you stay ahead of this fraud in the midst of COVID-19. Staying Vigilant Against Fraud in the Midst of COVID-19 In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, frauds and scams are emerging. Americans need to be aware that there are individuals attempting to profiteer from this emergency through online phishing scams, door-to-door COVID-19 testing offers, falsely promising free care, etc. Report Suspected COVID-19 Fraud to National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline: (866) 720-5721 or email disaster@leo.gov Here is what to look for Below is a list of 5 scams designed to defraud you in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phishing Scams We are all looking to keep up with all that is happening with the Coronavirus. Our eagerness and fear may be […]

March 19, 2020

Coronavirus Fear and Anxiety Drives Phishing Scams

Brian Thompson General, Identity Theft

I read a great article last week by Risk Based Security – a leader in vulnerability intelligence – about modern phishing attempts (please see here) and how Coronavirus Fear and Anxiety Drives Phishing Scams. “malicious attackers are targeting unsuspecting people on the web.” This article said there was a “tendency to associate phishing with crude boilerplate emails, dubious attachments, and poor attention spans”. But, sophisticated “attackers were spoofing system update prompts or redirecting users to pages with all sorts of dubious code.” But it gets worse. Cyber thieves and ID theft criminals didn’t are already taking advantage of fear and anxiety surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic. Risk-Based Security then released another article titled Coronavirus Isn’t the Only Virus Going Around (please see here) reporting that “malicious attackers will always find new ways to target individuals and organizations. This time, hackers are installing malware on computers and harvesting user credentials by preying on […]