After several cybersecurity companies and government bodies have warned that the spread of the coronavirus has increased the number of cybsersecurity threats, criminals have now started to use phones in their scams.
RoboKiller, the mobile app that eliminates spam calls and texts, has identified a new string of phone call scams and text message scams related to the Coronavirus pandemic.
One scam uses robs-callers to phone up and ask the victims to participate in a survey about how COVID-19 might affect the stock market. The robot-caller then asks the potential victims to “press 1” to be connected at which point the may become vulnerable to a potentially dangerous scam.
Another scheme uses texts to ask callers if they are prepared for the coronavirus and when and how to use protective masks. The text prompts users to follow a link, which could lead them to a harmful website.
The phone scams highlighted by RoboKiller are part of an ongoing trend where cyber criminals are leveraging the global pandemic to conduct their crimes.
RegTech Analyst has previously reported that some criminals are using COVID-19 to steal private data from people trying to find out more about the disease.
One email phishing strategy, which is similar to the ones used by the phone scammers, is to link to fake or infected digital maps and dashboards that are supposed to show the spread of the virus.
Those phishing campaigns are often having the criminals pose as trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the World Health Organization.
The American Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is one of the governmental bodies that have warned against the growing number of coronavirus-related fraud attempts.
The CFTC has also provided a list of defence strategies people should consider in order to avoid falling prey to criminals’ attempt to defraud them.
Copyright © 2018 RegTech Analyst
