CyberWhite, cyber security specialists, remind everyone to be more vigilant as cyber crime scammers get coronavirus crafty
You should already know about ‘phishing’ emails and calls, where scamming scum bags trick you into entering personal information, such as bank details or passwords, and related scams, such as getting you to install their software onto your computer.
The cyber criminal “industry” is thriving while the law-abiding world is on lockdown, with businesses reporting up to 75 percent more monkey business from scammers, and people who don’t normally work from home are now juicy targets.
CyberWhite’s Matt Hewison explained “There has certainly been an increase in phishing scams over the course of this pandemic. It’s an extension of something that’s been happening for a long time, and the landscape’s changing all the time.
“I think it’s easy to forget that these criminals are people at the end of machines. They’re tuned in to what’s going on in the world and they’re using COVID 19 to their advantage. They’re aware of what loans and grants people may have applied for or concerns they might have and are manipulating people with this knowledge.’’
“They’re preying on both people who are busier due to working from home or the people who might be bored and stuck for things to do. The criminal hopes that, instead of being cautious, people will just give away their information without a thought.’’
“I would urge anyone, if they receive correspondence that appears to be suspicious, to double check by using official contact details not details provided in the original correspondence. These scams are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to spot. Remember you should never give out your personal information without being confident you know where it’s going.”
More information:
Read about the different types of cyber attacks here, and here, familiarise yourself with popular online scam-busters like Jim Browning and Kitboga, and follow the simple rules below:
- Trust your gut instinct: don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you claiming to be from your bank, government or computer company. If they are pushy, or suggest that you have to take action right away, that’s a red flag.
- Use strong passwords stored in a password manager.
- Use the ‘boot time scan’ on your security software. Also: have security software.
- Check your email addresses on haveibeenpwned to see if accounts have been compromised.
Cover Photo by Nahel Abdul Hadi
