Scammers see Covid-19 as ‘an opportunity’
JENNIFER COX OFFERS ADVICE ON STAYING SAFE ONLINE
HOW many of you had heard of Zoom before St Patrick’s Day? How about Houseparty? Microsoft Teams?
From a position of relative obscurity, these apps, and many like them, have become part of our daily lives. Before we were all sent into lockdown, Zoom’s highest number of users on any given day was 10 million - it now averages 200 million users per day.
But like every good thing, there must be always be a snag, a downside to temper our enthusiasm. And in this case it’s the omnipresent threat of fraudsters, scammers out to empty our bank balances, or worse.
Jennifer Cox is a Security Engineer at Tenable, a Cyber Exposure company which works with organisations around the globe to reduce cyber risk, and she says online scammers view Covid-10 as ‘an opportunity’.
‘I’ve certainly seen an increase in false claims and malicious communications tied to COVID-19 that can play on increased fear at this time,’ says Jennifer who is originally from Wexford town but now lives in Enniscorthy.
‘When everything around us feels so unsure, it’s a lot easier to be susceptible to these attacks. Scammers see this as an opportunity.’
Capitalising on the uncertainty and fear surrounding the coronavirus, fraudsters are designing scams which prey on those concerned about their health during the pandemic.
These include, but are not limited to:
Fake texts advising the recipient that they have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and to click a link to find out more. Clicking the link can expose the recipient to a virus.
Fake emails advising the recipient to take an ‘online Coronavirus test’ which doesn’t exist.
Fake emails purporting to be from the World Health Organisation with malicious attachments.
Jennifer’s advice is to ignore anything which you are unsure about.
‘When there is any doubt of a communication’s authenticity, particularly if you receive something with a link, don’t click it,’ she says,
‘If you are expecting communications in relation to COVID-19, the HSE or any other official body, perform a Google search first, or call the department you are expecting to hear from to verify that it is legitimate.’
The majority of scams and ‘phishing’ attempts are focused on harvesting personal details or hacking devices on a large scale, for financial gain. This can be through direct access to funds, using stolen bank or credit card details, or stealing login details through fake forms.
And Jennifer says older people who are not accustomed to spending so much time online with these newer apps are particularly at risk.
‘Older people are usually more vulnerable to these scams and now is no different,’ Jennifer says. ‘If in doubt, the core rules apply. Never give your bank or card details to anyone you don’t trust and never give personal details to someone you don’t know. If you receive a call, and it is genuine, the caller will have no issue with you asking if you can double-check first.’
Should the worst happen, and one of your accounts is hacked, your details stolen, it is vital that you contact your bank immediately.
‘If you have given any monetary details, bank details or credit card information, contact your bank and cancel your cards,’ Jennifer says. ‘They will issue new cards. Then you should change your passwords for any online banking or personal data sites such as Revenue, Health or family services.
‘Report the issue to your local Garda/ enforcement officer. Keep all/any information that you have received to date, such as emails, post and texts so that you can provide them as evidence.’
But it’s not just the elderly who are at risk. With so many new forms of communication coming on stream, younger users of the Internet are accessing apps which may not be as safe as they first appear.
And as a parent herself, Jennifer has some recommendations for those concerned about their child’s activity online.
‘Always verify the source of a link. Is it from school, a friend, a family member? Where possible, use a product that you have already used and trust personally,’ she says. Stay within earshot of the call. For smaller children, they may need you for technical difficulties and you can also hear the conversation and can step-in if needed. For older children, ask them to confirm who is joining the call and show them how to remove people or lock the room, if possible.
‘Use passwords and room locks. Where possible use apps that allow you to use a password for access security and/or a room lock to stop uninvited people from joining.
‘Before you allow your child to use any app, try it yourself and walk through all the settings. You can then see how to lock down specific features and, most importantly, what the app accesses on the device.’
‘BEFORE YOU ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO USE ANY APP, TRY IT YOURSELF AND WALK THROUGH ALL THE SETTINGS’