Provided by Akuity Technologies

With so much fear and uncertainty amidst the chaos of the on going COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals will be looking to exploit these circumstances with a variety of different scams.

Here are some of the examples provided by KnowBe4 you may want to be on the lookout for and remember: if you aren’t sure, DON’T CLICK!

• Emails that appear to be from organizations such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), or the WHO (World Health Organization). The scammers have crafted emails that appear to come from these sources, but they actually contain malicious phishing links or dangerous attachments.
• Emails that ask for charity donations for studies, doctors, or victims that have been affected by the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Scammers often create fake charity emails after global phenomenons occur, like natural disasters, or health scares like the COVID-19.
• Emails that claim to have a “new” or “updated” list of cases of Coronavirus in your area. These emails could contain dangerous links and information designed to scare you into clicking on the link.

Keep in mind, these are only a few examples and these scam artists are constantly coming up with new ways to fool you.

Additionally, many companies have shifted to a work-from-home model for many employees that may not have ever worked remotely before.  We will likely see an uptick in scams related to remote access tools and services like LogMeIn, GoToMyPC, any sort of VPN and so on.  If you receive a message you aren’t specifically expecting, make sure to verify with somebody first before you do anything.

What Can I Do?

Remain cautious! And always remember the following to protect yourself from scams like this:

• Never click on links or download attachments from an email that you weren’t expecting.
• If you receive a suspicious email that appears to come from an official organization such as the WHO or CDC, report the email to the official organization through their website.
• If you want to make a charity donation, go to the charity website of your choice to submit your payment. Type the charity’s web address in your browser instead of clicking on any links in emails, or other messages.

Please feel free to share with your employees.