Whilst members of the general public and our incredible public services are showing us the very best of the goodness and kind gestures that have come out of the coronavirus outbreak, the cybercriminals have chosen to show us the very worst.

Please be vigilant. We have compiled a list of just a few of the scams that are circulating, concentrated on the coronavirus/ Covid-19 pandemic.

Fake ‘test and trace’ scams

https://twitter.com/NHSuk/status/1279399562617278464 – NHS ‘track and trace’ security post

If you are contacted by anyone claiming to a part of the ‘track and trace’ service, please remember that they will never ask you for:

  • Payment of any kind.
  • Details about your bank account.
  • Password or Pins.
  • Or ask you to download anything.

Coronavirus Phishing emails:

As we mentioned in a previous blog, there are various phishing emails being targeted at unsuspecting people. The topics of the phishing emails include:

  • Offering “additional information about COVID-19”
  • Convincing you buy a book on how to survive the pandemic
  • Asking for donations to a fake charity.
  • An email from your “manager” instructing you to watch a seminar.

If you see any emails like these or similar, please be overly cautious and don’t click any links.

Report the emails to your IT company or to Action Fraud on report@phishing.gov.uk.

2,866 victims of coronavirus-related scams have lost over £11.3 million

As of the 8th of July, Action Fraud had received 13,820 reports on phishing emails. Out of these emails, a total of 2866 victims have become victim to coronavirus-related scams.

A total of £11,316,266 has been stolen by cyber criminals from these victims.

Fraud warning from the Crown Prosecution Service:

The Crown Prosecution service has released a fraud warning after a 20-year-old man has been jailed due to him sending more than a thousand texts, claiming to be a Government authority providing refunds. The total loss of his victims was £10,019.17.

An example of the text he said is as follows:

“‘UKGOV: You are eligible for a Tax Refund as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Please fill out the following form so that we can process your refund.”- Source: Action Fraud

Computer software support service fraud:

People are receiving cold calls and unsolicited emails offering help with a device or to fix a problem.

When being contacted about help with a computer/IT issue, make sure you have looked into the company and checked that they are legit (i.e they have a website, a phone number and a company’s house profile).

We will be releasing another part to this rundown as there are new scams coming to light on an almost weekly basis, make sure you are following our social channels and/or are on our mailing list to receive these security updates.

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Want to read more on the coronavirus scams circulating at the moment? Read our new article here: https://www.tecsec.co.uk/covid-19-scams/