Cyber scammers using crisis to take advantage of unwary
THE UK’S cyber security agency has launched a service which allows people to report suspicious emails to them.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that criminals are increasingly looking to use the coronavirus pandemic as a way to scam unsuspecting people.
Numerous scams have emerged as criminals seek to take advantage of concerns ranging from how to reclaim money lost on holidays to financial support while schools are closed.
It is an issue highlighted last month by the Courier and JPIMedia sister titles through a
“The scale of activity among opportunistic cyber criminals seeking to profit... should concern us.”
Stop the Scammers campaign, which aims to raise awareness of tactics used and how to report such frauds to authorities.
In response, the NCSC has launched a Cyber Aware campaign – while the UK’s top spy has also urged people to be more vigilant online in these unprecedented times.
Jeremy Fleming, who is director of Government Communications Headquarters which oversees the NCSC, said the current crisis “is changing the world very fast ... the scale of activity among opportunistic cybercriminals seeking to profit from the virus should concern us all”.
NCSC’s campaign offers a range of general online safety advice to UK internet users, including tips on how to protect passwords, accounts and devices.
It also includes new advice on how to securely use video calling apps such as Zoom, which have become popular during the lockdown following security concerns being raised about the use of such apps.
Alongside it, the NCSC has also launched its Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which will allow people to forward emails they believe to be scams to the centre for analysis and further action.
Developed in conjunction with the City of London Police, users can forward emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and the NCSC’s automated programme will immediately test the validity of any linked site.
The centre says it will build on its existing takedown services, which have removed more than 2,000 scams related to coronavirus in the last month.
Zoom has taken steps to improve its security settings in response to concerns and has stopped all new feature development to focus on security.
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