Online criminals are using an increasing number of ways to target businesses and individuals online by using the current Coronavirus (Covid 19) situation as the ‘hook’ to lure us into phishing e-mails and fake websites. They are purporting to be from genuine organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as some malicious Coronavirus themed apps. They are then using the pandemic as a way of getting malware and viruses onto our devices to steal credentials, access webcams, commit fraud and hold us to ransom.
Our advice is always the same.
- Go to the organisations’ genuine website
- Check the detail of the URL or website address
- Avoid clicking on links on e-mails and text messages
- Think before you click
- Don’t rush to give away personal details
Don’t assume everything you receive is genuine.
As always, any online crimes and frauds need to be reported to Action Fraud – we recommend by phone, especially for Ransomware and Denial of Service attacks which are classed as live cyber crimes.
There are some really important resources available from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which are vital for any business to help stay safe online. They include guidance on working from home, a scam involving fake maps with coronavirus outbreaks which puts malware on your machine and guidance on updating anti-virus and malware.
