this criminals They can take advantage of any misfortune and epidemic of others. coronavirus would not be less. And his imagination has no limits and cyber criminals they used the health crisis to get a slice and do their duty. Fraud and fraud on the Internet.
Online fraud and scams have also proliferated, along with emails and cell phones resulting from increased social media and internet use during quarantine and the new normal. We tell you what the 10 most used online scams are so be careful and don’t fool yourself:
Tips to “stop” the coronavirus
In Covid, as in other diseases, there are no magic formulas to treat yourself or not get infected. However, WhatsApp is distributing hundreds of messages with links to different web pages where so-called “experts” offer advice and solutions for the virus. You should be very careful with these strings as they contain many. malicious links with computer viruses or try to misinform. There are even those who will demand financial compensation or our data in exchange for their supposed assistance to us.
Send “Help” to phone/email XXXX
Social networks are full of these other kinds of messages. fraudAiming to benefit from the work of healthcare professionals, asking users to cooperate to thank them for their effort and work.
Some of these messages they will ask us to enter our personal data or make an economic donation. This is a very common way of obtaining personal information from many users at the same time.
However, this does not mean that all solidarity initiatives circulating on the Internet are solidarity. fakehowever, it is very important to be vigilant, careful and compare information to avoid problems.
Classical e-fraud, now with coronavirus
this phishing It is one of the most common fraud methods on the internet. cybercriminal impersonating a reputable institutionTaking advantage of the global concern about covid, WHO, Social Security or anyone else tries to gain our trust or even infect us with a computerized virus to take control of certain personal data such as bank details.
This scam is usually carried out via email. For example, we may receive an email from a supposed hospital informing us that we may be one of the first to take a diagnostic test, but that we have to click on a link to do so. Watch out, don’t bite!
Smishing: Fraud arrives via SMS
Email isn’t the only way this can be done phishing. there is also this beautiful, which is the same, just by text message or SMS. This is a very popular scam that consists of sending an SMS, for example the Ministry of Labor, Social Security or the relevant Health Authority, and sharing a link where we will be asked for a set of personal data.
These data they request from us will apparently serve to process the “coronavirus-related temporary permission request”. Extreme caution should be exercised, as its immediate nature can confuse us and trap us.
Something similar happened to Twitter user @elenahudson and he realized this scam and decided. trawl cybercriminals aired their own soap operas and their stories went viral on social media.
User @dmode666 cited another case of smishing via the bird’s social network, where scammers backfired and eventually apologized.
Fraud in the sale of medical supplies
Masks entered our lives to stay at least for a long time. The scammers also did not hesitate to take advantage of these “flagship” products related to covid. A few scams have been identified, mostly related to the online sale of masks.
For example, the seller claims that they have masks specially made to protect us from the coronavirus, but the victims, after making the purchase, do not receive what they bought, or if this does not happen, they receive only some of them or in very different conditions than those described. .
corona virus
Who wouldn’t open a video file or document with instructions and warnings on how to protect ourselves from covid? Here’s the trap, in the form of fraud ransomware or in this case, computer virus based on coronavirus.
The most important thing in these situations is to know that we should not trust everything we receive, because attached files may contain malware that infects our computers and equipment to take control. These viruses are usually received via email, but they can also reach us via Whatsapp, Telegram and even social networks.
So-called Government’s “corona checks”
Add with internet scam and move on. Many users receive a message via Whatsapp from the Ministry that the government is said to have given some euros to better deal with the consequences of the health crisis caused by covid. In order to receive these checks, we need to click on the attached link. Warning, this information is incorrect.
Before clicking on any link, it is good advice to confirm whether the source is reliable, we can check it through official communication channels, official profiles on social networks of administrations or official websites of different Ministries.
fake job offers
If you are one of the job seekers, you are not free from scams and scams on the internet. Lately, fake job offers have been circulating to make medical supplies. Taking advantage of this predicament, cybercriminals will try to make us believe that we are facing a genuine job offer to share our personal data or prepay for submitting the material.
When faced with an offer with these characteristics, it is best to review all the details of the ad, compare the information, and decline the offer if any detail catches our attention or seems strange to us, especially if it is from or is from an unknown user. Requested web portal from anyone for job offers.
Computer assumptions of remote work
Quarantines and remote work have exposed one of the most classic scams. Recently, complaints have been reported from users claiming to receive a call from a so-called “tech support” to collaborate during telework. After following the instructions of these “computers”, the cybercriminal gets our credentials or installs some malware without us being aware of it.
fake free coupons
Internet scams with fake promotions, discounts, offers and free subscriptions are not new either. An example of these new-old pandemic scams is the message we can all get: “Enjoy all our streaming services for movies and series for free.” Cybercriminals will ask us to fill out some forms with our personal data or to pay a small amount under any pretext.
The first thing we should do is check the URL and if we are not sure, go to the official source to confirm or deny that they are offering this type of promotion.