Being Aware of these 5 Coronavirus Frauds can Save You from a World of Hurt

I state the obvious when I say, there’s a lot of stuff happening right now. The least of which is the economic shutdown and pandemic fight. So many things going on that I have be very remiss about posting to my blog, but this group of Covid-19 fraud scams is especially important to be aware of. Whenever, there’s a disaster, whether it’s a hurricane or a pandemic, fraudsters work overtime to separate you from your hard-earned money. At this particular time, illegal drug prices have gone through the roof. Property crime and personal identity theft is on the rise. Some company sent these to me, and I thought they would be great to share. Here are five Scams to be aware of in no particular order:

• Fraudulent Job Opportunities

• Fake Government Alerts

• Exploiting Our Desire to Help and be Kind

• Fake Covid-19 Maps

• Exploiting Economic Relief Efforts

Fraudulent Job Opportunities

With the unemployment rate approaching or surpassing 15% that means millions of people are looking for work. This is a scammers dream as many people look for work online. Here are some things to do when looking for job opportunities:

• Have you researched the company? (Glassdoor is a good resource)

• Is the offer too good to be true? Is it substantially above what is normally paid?

• Are they asking you for personal information up front? (i.e. social security number, moving money in your bank account)

• Have you talked to anyone at the company over the phone?

Fake Government Alerts

The number one fake government alert is a phony phone call from the Social Security Administration telling you that your Social Security Number (SSN) has been compromised. The scammers request you verify your personal information and SSN over the phone. Sometimes they demand money over the phone to fix the errors.

Another is fake emails from the CDC or some other government agency with subject titles like “COVID-19 – Now Airborne and Increasing in your Community. Click here to download information about how to stop it and protect yourself.” The Hackers goal is to get you to click on something so they can add on a keystroke logger, malware, or ransomware to your computer system and gain access to your passwords, banking, and personal information.

How to prevent it.

• Don’t click on, or open anything from unsolicited emails

• Hover over the email address to see the true email source.

• When in doubt, go directly to the government website yourself and look for an alert, or call the agency in question.

Exploiting Our Desire to Help and be Kind

Scammers send you unsolicited emails requesting financial help or charitable donations to victims of the Coronavirus. Some of these emails look like real charities or government agencies with the only difference being a .com versus a .org. Others use similar looking names, United Way Fund versus United Way.

How to prevent it.

• Never give or respond to an unsolicited gift request through email.

• If you want to give, go directly to a well-known charitable site.

• Look for legitimate charities through Givewell or the Better Business Bureau

Fake COVID-19 Maps

The John Hopkins COVID-19 map is a great way to become informed. Scammers send unsolicited emails trying to get you to click on their maps. Why? Because, again, they are trying to get you to click something so malware, viruses, ransomware, or keystroke loggers can be installed.

How to prevent it:

• It sounds simple, but don’t click on unsolicited emails or unsolicited attachments. Go directly to the site from your internet browser.

Exploiting Economic Relief Efforts

People waiting for their stimulus money, payroll protection money, or other economic relief money have become a major target of cyber criminals. It is the perfect storm to fool people into giving out their personal information. Hackers use phishing emails to try and capture sensitive, personal information.

How to prevent it.

• Only give out personal information by contacting the agency directly.

• Never click through an email to access their site.

• The simplest way is to call directly.

The bottom line is people are out there trying to separate you from your money, whether personal or business. Be safe and look at each email received with an air of skepticism even if it looks legit. Don’t respond by clicking in the email.

We’re all stressed with everything that’s going on. Don’t become a victim by clicking on something, or giving out personal information on a phone call. If you have any questions or need some advice on a potential scam, please contact me directly and I will help. (949) 697-2624