Covid-19 Online Scams

 

Written by:

Dan Grayson
Technology Business Engineer
NET Xperts LLC


Online scammers are taking advantage of the hysteria surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to the FTC, scams have cost Americans $13.5 million already this year. There have been numerous accounts of cyber fraud and scams recently, including expedited government relief scams, sextortion scams, and phony business loan relief sites.

Scammers are using the pandemic as a door into your secure online accounts and data. One of the most efficient and effective methods of scams is to send phony links and malicious attachments through email. Phishing emails promising financial relief are especially on the rise, and it can be difficult to tell if these are legitimate, and often they are not.

Sextortion scams are also on the rise due to the increased usage of meetings on platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. These scams threaten you with releasing your webcam footage on social media unless you pay a fee. They often provide an actual password that you have used as “proof” that they have already acquired your information. However, they most likely only received this password from a leaked password list which can be purchased by scammers on the dark web.

Luckily, there are devices and processes available to protect yourself and your business. These items include email spam filters and fraud detection services which utilize artificial intelligence to learn which emails are legitimate and which are fraudulent. There are backup solutions that allow you to recover from ransomware attacks that lock down your data. Also, if multi-factor authentication is available for your accounts, use it! Multi-factor authentication ties your account login to your phone to verify that it is you who is logging in. This adds a vital layer of protection if your password is ever compromised.

With more and more business now taking place over the internet and with more employees working from home, scammers have been given an opportunity to continue to be more aggressive and creative with scamming people. It is up to you to identify these threats and avoid getting caught up in them.

 

Contact NET Xperts LLC to find out how we can help keep your business secure, and ensure that your end users can identify these threats.

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