As news of COVID-19 (coronavirus) spreads around the world, so has the prevalence of COVID-19 themed social media and email campaigns. Although many of these campaigns seem innocent at first glance, most are actually carefully designed phishing scams.
In order to avoid becoming victim to these scams, you need to know how to spot them. Below, we’ll explain how to locate potential scams and what you can do to protect yourself.
What Are Phishing Attacks?
Phishing attacks are designed to collect specific information from the victim such as usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information. Scammers may design convincing emails and pop-up ads with links to webpages that look exactly like businesses you trust. However, once you enter your login information on the website, the scammer collects this data for their own personal use.
Coronavirus phishing attacks prey on public fears about the virus. Many say they come from the U.S. Department of Health or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. These emails claim to contain important information about prevention and treatment. A lot of times, these messages call for urgent action on the part of the recipient. For example, one common phishing scam states that ventilators and patient test delivery has been blocked. The message then urges the receiver to accept their order to continue with shipment.
Spotting Phishing Attacks
Although phishing attacks can seem urgent, it’s important not to let fear drive you to make an impulsive decision. Take a deep breath and ask yourself if the message seems legitimate. Keep in mind that legitimate sources of health information do not use unsolicited email or text messages to make important announcements. Also, if it seems too good to be true (offering information about how to get treatment or vaccines for free), it probably is.
Avoid Phishing Attacks
Before clicking anything or responding, make sure you check the sender’s email address. Even if the email is coming from a reliable source, never click any links on your computer. Instead, enter the web address directly into the browser to make sure you are visiting the correct website. Also, do not download any files unless you are absolutely sure you know what it is and where it came from.
If you think you’ve fallen victim to a phishing scam, try not to panic. Change your passwords and login information as soon as possible and contact your financial institute if you have given away account information and/or your social security number.
If you believe your computer has been infected with a virus, we can help. Please contact Computer Repair by Marcus for remote computer repair services.
