Best Ways to Prevent COVID-19 Cyber Scams

COVID-19 could be a perfect opportunity for cyber scammers and hackers to execute what they are good at. Do not let anyone take advantage of you, financially or otherwise, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cyber scammers can target the population in the following ways:

• By Sending Suspicious Links Over SMS, Email or Social Media

Hackers may send suspicious links, which may harm you in several ways if you click it. From compromising with the data in your system or mobile on which you clicked the link to enabling a virus attack, hackers know of plenty of ways to target different categories of people. Therefore, do not click any suspicious link to see what is in it.

• By Sending HOAX Information related to COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine

So far, no treatment or vaccine is available for COVID-19. Therefore, hackers may try to feed people with false information and influence their opinion and decision. This spread of false information can potentially prove lethal for many as they may decide to follow the methods highlighted. Therefore, do not believe information from unverified sources and always refer to credible sources such as the WHO and CDC.

• By Making a Request For Charity

This is one of the leading online scams of all time. Hackers and cyber scammers may try to loot your money by claiming that they are making donations or collecting funds for COVID-19 relief. However, this may not be true. Therefore, before making any donations, check for the credibility of the organization they are referring to and always prefer to donate useful material such as clothes, grains, and pulses rather than making cash donations.

• By Asking For Financial or Banking Data

Random callers may ask you for sensitive financial data, credit card number, CVV number, card expiry, or bank account details by claiming that they will make your money secure. During the COVID-19 crisis, people may fall into the trap of cyber scammers. Please know that the bank does not ask for such crucial information over the phone and therefore, you should not give it to anyone, no matter what claims they make.

References: https://safety.google/securitytips-covid19/

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2020/03/06/defending-against-covid-19-cyber-scams