I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. Hackers are jumping on the Coronavirus scare and running some pretty convincing scams.
The hackers know that the public is scared, so they’re playing on that fear and hoping to trick you into opening email messages so they can unleash their malware. According to various reports, if they can’t get you to click on these links, they’re trying to get you to send money to buy safety equipment and ‘cures.’
Like all good scams, there’s just enough truth and correct details in these email messages that you are lulled into thinking they’re legit; the right names, titles, locations, facility names, and origination email. The hackers have put a lot of thought and effort into the email scams; they’re even better-looking than many of the ‘usual’ scams, including the World Health logo and various hashtags.
I’m sure you’ve read or heard some of our posts about social engineering; now you’re seeing it in action. Be careful; don’t open these email messages; don’t click all the links to online articles. They know what scares us and catches our curiosity. Don’t fall for it! – CMW