As the country and world are trying to deal with recent COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals are taking advantage of people’s quest for information.
You’ve probably noticed a plethora of emails from every retailer, software company, or business you’ve dealt with in recent years. Cybercriminals see an excellent opportunity to slide in phishing scams amid all the information being sent your way.
The following are two examples:
What’s most striking about these emails, though, is that they were crafted while the stimulus package was still being negotiated. The bad guys didn’t even wait for the final bill to pass both houses of Congress and hit the President’s desk for signature. The moment they heard of money being fed to users — and, potentially, to their employers — and these malicious actors were in motion.
The FBI has issued warnings this week about the increasing threat of such scams. “Look out for phishing emails asking you to verify your personal information in order to receive an economic stimulus check from the government,” the FBI says.
The statement also cautions people to watch out for offers of counterfeit medical products, including fake vaccines and testing kits.
Best practices still remain to be wary of email links and attachments, and not providing personal or financial data in response to unsolicited emails or phone calls.
If you are not familiar with the sender do not open it. Always review the email address of the sender, as they can look legitimate at first glance, but can be off by one letter. The bad guys are banking on you not paying close attention.