To stay home and wash your hands frequently now we have to add a new tip: don't click on any link. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world, scammers have learned to take advantage of it to mislead consumers
The Federal Trade Commission has received nearly 8,000 virus-related fraud reports since the beginning of the year, with reported losses totaling $ 4.77 million. Security experts say malicious cybercriminals and vendors are taking advantage of the global crisis to sell bogus products and services to frightened consumers, steal people's personal information, and even blackmail them into receiving direct payments. Following news of the government's $ 2 trillion bailout package, scammers are also working hard to get the $ 1,200 stimulus checks desperately needed by those who have recently lost their jobs.
It's easy to get scammed in the current situation, according to Aaron Foss, founder of the popular Nomorobo automated call blocking service. He says anxiety and uncertainty surrounding government treatment and assistance have created the right conditions for scammers. "With all the confusion surrounding mobilization efforts, you really don't know what to believe," says Foss. “With everyone in social isolation, many, many more people are at home, especially older people. And they are terrified and seeking help. ”
That means that it is vital for consumers to learn how to protect themselves and vulnerable family members from coronavirus scams. We have compiled a checklist that you can use to detect scammers and stay safe. To learn more about what these specific scams are like and what is being done to stop them, read on.
What types of scams should consumers be aware of?
According to a recent FTC press release, “The main categories of coronavirus-related fraud complaints include travel and vacation-related reports (cancellations and refunds), problems with online purchases, mobile text message scams, and scams to charge of government or commercial impostors. "
Cybersecurity company Sophos has also identified an exponential increase in email scams since January, with campaigns including extortion schemes "threatening to infect the target's family with COVID-19 if they don't pay," false pleas to raise money. World Health Organization funding and "$ 37 video downloads purporting to offer insider information from a 'military source' on how to survive the coronavirus."
Some scammers say they can help people get priority treatment in exchange for a down payment. Others, says Foss, are allegedly offering free supplies with the fine print that there is "some kind of shipping or handling charge and the victim must provide their credit card number to pay for it." Some of the more egregious examples Foss provided include calls claiming to offer free testing for Medicare members and offers from a "Deep Cleaning Agency" to "test the level of germs and viruses" in people's homes. Products and services, of course, never appear.
Sophos Principal Research Scientist Paul Ducklin told CNN scammers can also "offer inferior items that you really shouldn't buy, sell items or investments that are totally bogus, cheat on paying off debts that don't really exist or scare you into paying for a service you don't need. "
What is being done
The FTC has released tips for consumers (including a bingo list to help people recognize when they're being scammed), and is also cracking down on misleading advertising and automatic calls. It has also issued warnings to a growing list of companies for selling products "with misleading or unsupported claims about their ability to treat or cure coronavirus." It has also investigated nine Internet phone companies for "assisting and facilitating" illegal telemarketing calls, and sent letters to the Federal Communications Commission about three companies for "routing and transmitting automatic coronavirus-related calls." The FTC and Nomorobo have also listed recordings of "fraudulent calls" related to the virus to help consumers recognize them.
However, a warning rarely ends with a scam operation, and scammers are evolving in their behavior. Also, adds Ducklin, other scams have not disappeared from the virus. "It would be a crushing irony," he says, "if the fear of specific coronavirus scams means that people neglect other scams and start falling for them more easily."
Ultimately, it is up to consumers to protect themselves by being vigilant and skeptical of virus-related websites, calls, and emails. There are specific actions you can take to reduce the chance of being scammed.
How to protect yourself from online vendor scams
1. Research sellers before making a purchase. The FTC cautions that "online sellers can claim to have highly sought-after products, such as cleaning, household, health and medical products, when in fact they don't." That means that when shopping from an unknown seller, including sellers on Amazon, it is a good idea to search the Internet for the company or the individual's name along with keywords like "review," "complaint," or "scam." It's best to interact only with vendors and businesses you know and trust. Foss also adds a simple rule: "Never buy anything from someone who calls you on the phone."
2. Don't buy promises of treatments. Remember that there are no treatments for Covid-19 currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no home tests or vaccines for sale. Any product that claims otherwise is lying and may be violating federal law.
3. Do not use direct payment links. Ducklin advises people to never make payments or enter company websites "through links in emails or text messages." Instead, "if you need to pay an online company, access the payment page by following your own search, or using a link from a document you already have, such as a contract or a recent invoice." Take your time. "Even if it takes a few more clicks, it is time well spent because you will automatically lose bogus logins on bogus sites that could compromise your security," Ducklin insists.
4. Pay by credit card and always keep a record of the transaction. Don't send money to someone, and don't send payments to people you don't know through apps like Zelle, which don't offer the same fraud protections as credit cards.
5. Do not click links or download attachments from unknown senders. Ducklin says scammers may try to "persuade you to install a program or open a file that will harm your computer" or "lead you to a fake website where they capture passwords and personal data." Even by simply clicking on a link you can infect your computer with malware , which means that you should “avoid opening unexpected or unsolicited email attachments if you can”, and that if “a document asks you to enable some function or downgrade the security to open, don't do it. It's a trick".
6. Stay in control. Finally, says Ducklin, "never give callers remote access to your computer, no matter how much they threaten to 'fine' you or disconnect from the Internet, and even if they claim to be Microsoft or the police."
How To Protect Yourself From Stimulus Check Scams
1. Hang up. Delete the email. Don't answer. The IRS will never call you to demand immediate payment, nor will it threaten to involve the local police or immigration officials if you do not comply with such demand. Similarly, banks will never request personal information by phone or email. Don't reply to these emails and hang up the calls.
2. Be patient. Remember that the government is still working on the details and that the vast majority of people do not need to do anything to receive their stimulus checks. If you've filed taxes in the past two years, the IRS already has the information you need. No one is getting the money sooner and anyone who says they can help you get your money sooner in exchange for a commission is lying.
3. Stay calm. Framing requests as urgent or demanding that you “act now” are just ways scammers use to make you react irrationally. Do not fall in the trap. "You never feel compelled to react to emails that worry you, and always hang up right away if you receive threatening phone calls, especially if they claim to be offering technical assistance to 'fix' a problem you didn't ask for help," says Ducklin.
4. Suspicion of unknown numbers. Foss understands that it is probably not practical to expect people to ignore any unknown calls during this uncertain time. "I know a lot of people recommend not picking up numbers that you don't recognize," he says, "but I think it's bad advice, especially now. Aren't you going to answer all calls if you're waiting for the results of your medical tests, for example? "Instead, I recommend that everyone do suspect if it's a number they don't recognize."
What to do if they cheat on you?
If you let yourself be trapped, all is not necessarily lost. "Don't delay calling your bank or financial institution," says Ducklin. “If you put your card details on a website and then realize that you shouldn't have, the sooner you act, the less time criminals will have to sell your card details (use the phone number on the back of your card) ”.
And finally, report the scams you find, but do it in a way that really makes a difference. "Now more than ever," says Foss, "traditional advice is quite ineffective. Reporting robocallers to the FTC or the police just wastes time and resources, but even if the police can't help you right now, your report could help someone else in the future. In the USA. use the Internet Crime Complaint Center. ”
Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of article posting.