(March 25, 2020) — Your Haddam and Killingworth Resident Troopers would like to take a moment to remind citizens that, unfortunately, when trying times are upon us the likelihood of digital criminals attempting to exploit unsuspecting victims tends to increase. We have already seen several instances across the country in which cyber criminals have attempted to exploit he worldwide COVID-19 situation through a variety of scams which prey upon your fears or take advantage of your altruism.
Some examples include:
- Individuals and businesses selling fake test kits, cures, and vaccines for COVID-19 online or over the phone.
- Phishing emails from entities posing as State or Local Government, the World Health Organization (WHO), or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can introduce malware such as ransomware, credential harvesters, or keyloggers.
- Malicious websites and apps that appear to share virus-related information to gain access to your phone and then lock it until payment is received.
- Scammers fraudulently seeking donations for legitimate, illegitimate, or non-existent charitable organizations; but who instead keep your money.
You should always exercise caution in handling any email with a COVID-19-related subject line, attachment, or hyperlink, and be wary of social media pleas, texts, or calls related to COVID-19. Always use trusted sources such as legitimate government websites for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19. As always, citizens are reminded to NEVER provide personal information over the phone to ANYONE and to never provide payment information over the phone, via e-mail, or on social media (ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE REQEUSTS THAT YOU MAKE PAYMENT FOR GOODS/SERVICES VIA GIFT CARD).
For further information, please visit:
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2020/03/06/defending-against-covid-19-cyber-scams
