COVID-19 has created unthinkable consequences for our society. Organized crime has been quick to respond, mounting orchestrated campaigns to prey on fear and anxiety relating to COVID-19. Internationally, there has been a rise in scams relating to this crisis.

Computer and phone hackers are taking advantage of this pandemic, luring potential victims to download infected files through suspicious links. Criminals are fraudulently applying for aid from federal, state and local programs, designed to help small businesses deal with the resulting financial fallout.

Federal authorities have announced that an ongoing cooperative effort between law enforcement and a number of private-sector companies, including multiple internet domain providers and registrars, has disrupted hundreds of internet domains used to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to commit fraud and other crimes.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) have received thousands of complaints regarding scams such as fraudulent charity drives, delivered malware to computers, websites advertising fake vaccines and more! To attract traffic, these websites often utilized domain names that contained words such as “covid19,” or “coronavirus.”  In some cases, the fraudulent sites purported to be run by, or affiliated with, public health organizations or agencies.

As a further example, shortly after the IRS notified the public of web links to apply for the COVID-19 related stimulus payments, the FBI identified a number of look-alike IRS stimulus payment domains.  These look-alike domains are often indicative of future phishing schemes. (Source: United States Department of Justice).  

Click here for helpful tips for you to protect yourself, your family or business from falling victim to COVID-19 scams.

Stay safe!