The Online Covid scams that steal your data
There have been some shocking online Covid scams in the last 6 months. As cyber-criminals have taken advantage of businesses during the global pandemic. It is important to make sure your business is not caught out. Our new video shows you the scams you should watch out for.
Business owners targeted in Covid-19 VAT deferral scam
HMRC have uncovered a new email scam produced by hackers. The latest of many recent scamming attempts by criminals is using the topic of coronavirus alongside the subject of VAT deferrals to trick you into giving away sensitive data.
A recent article published on the TechRader website, explains how hackers continue to exploit business vulnerabilities.
Aimed at small business owners, the fake HMRC email attempts to purloin confidential information from ventures struggling to cope with the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Between March and June 2020 HMRC allowed VAT payments to be deferred. The email scam pretending to be from the Revenue tries to dupe companies affected into revealing private information including account names, passwords and payment details.
Helpful tips to avoid online Covid scams
Know how scammers may reach you. Scammers are taking advantage of the increase in COVID‑19 communications by disguising their scams as legitimate messages about the virus. Alongside emails, scammers may also use text messages, automated calls and malicious websites to reach you.
Be cautious of requests for personal or financial information. If you receive an unsolicited request for information, take extra time to evaluate the message. Scammers will often ask you to input login information, or share bank details and addresses with them. They may also request payment via bank transfer or virtual currency.
Double check links and email addresses before clicking. Fake links often imitate established websites by adding extra words or letters. If it says something like “click here,” hover over the link or long press the text to check the URL for mistakes ─ being careful not to click it. Misspelled words or random letters and numbers in the URL or email address may also indicate a scam.
Search to see if it’s been reported. If somebody has sent you a fraudulent message, it’s likely they’ve sent it to other people as well. Copy and paste the email address or phone number. Alternatively, copy the most suspicious portion of the message into a search engine to check if it’s been reported.
Not Sure What IT Security You Need?
Security is one of the most important considerations when building any network. It doesn’t matter whether you are a small business or a multi national corporation, security should be your top priority. Recently office, home and mobile networks have been targeted more by cyber criminals across the globe. As with all forms of crime, the first victims are the low hanging fruit. But the criminals are getting more sophisticated. So businesses need to keep one step ahead.
LIS – SECURING YOUR DIGITAL WORLD
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