Scams and Security: Staying Safe Online [Blogging]

As we have all done our bit and stayed home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we have spent more time online. While this may have helped to wile away the hours as we lose track of time and wait patiently to be told that we can safely venture outside and begin work once again, it has also created an opening for fraudsters. Cyber criminals have been taking advantage of peoples concerns about the coronavirus and using it to scam people out of money and data. The boost in online criminal activity has caught many people out. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, part of the City of London Police, have stated that in April scammers defrauded over £1.6 million from victims in the UK, with some of these even pretending to be suppliers of medical PPE.(1) While there are countless ways that fraudsters can try to scam you, there are some simple steps you can take to help make sure that you can identify or steer clear of getting caught in their trap. But first things first, what are the most common types of online scams? Phishing This is traditionally through email, but there has been a rise in phishing scams being sent in text or messaging apps. These will usually try to evoke an action from you by scaring you or making you nervous, so that you feel that you need to act on the message, and act quickly. For example a popular one is that your TV licence, or streaming service is about to run out and you need to follow the link to renew. Instead of taking you to the TV licence or streaming service website it will take you to a replica and use your information once you have entered it. This is the main method used during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the general public and businesses. Malware Malware is a contraction of malicious software, and it can work in many ways such as locking your device, stealing and deleting all your data and even using services that may cost you money. For malware to work, it needs to be able to run on your computer. Ransom

Still puzzling over something?