Scams in the age of Coronavirus

We have received a number of notifications from our own customers now who are receiving scam emails regarding coronavirus, and/or vaccinations. Whilst scam emails or similar have been around a long time, recently malicious attempts have focussed on vaccinations.

What to watch for?

Typically, there are a few telltale signs to watch out for, though things can easily change. Most scams dont come from a known source - though with ‘spoofing’, or real accounts being hacked, it might seem like you get an email from a known source. Still, we have seen emails come from “webmaster@nhs.com”, or others with a changed ‘display name’ (but with a generic disposable email address underneath).

The main thing to ask yourself, on reading an email is

• Am i being asked to do something, or is this just for information only?

• Is there a pressure being placed? Either in terms of time (act quickly before its too late), or importance (the boss really needs this)

• Is there something in the email you need to click on?

As a general good rule of thumb, dont click on links in an email.

Finally, if you just are not sure and want some help, get in touch. We know that customers have received emails such as the above, because they have asked us. We would far, far rather be asked a 1 minute question than have to deal with the time and stress of a hacked account.

Further reading: Herts Police