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There are many scams in relation to the current situation of Covid19. As Covid19 cases rises across the world, scammers takes advantage of this opprtunity to scam the vulnerables especially seniors.
Most scammers would impersonate officials from government agencies and World Health Organization (WHO) to ask for donation inform of Bitcoins or personal credit card information.
As much as our government and police can educate us to avoid scammers, some of us especially the vulnarables do get scammed and lost their hard earn money.
So lets be on our guard, educate our seniors and don’t let this scammers take advantage of them.
Donation Scam from WHO
Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic. There are tonnes of ways that scammers are willing to take money from you. Syndicates usually uses phone calls, phone messages or fraudulent email to attempt to trick you.
For email phising, scammers will make attempts to trick you into clicking on malicious links or opening attachments.
These actions may reveal your user ID and password, which can be used to steal money or personal information. Your personal particulars are the outmost important to you and scammers may come back to you to backmail or even harrassed you.
If you are contacted by a person or organization that appears to be WHO, verify their authenticity before responding.
You may also report this to your local police or WHO link below.
WHO have given the following information if you received any email from unauthorized personnel on Covid19.
The World Health Organization will:
- never ask for your username or password to access safety information
- never email you any attachments you didn’t ask for
- never click ask you to a link outside of www.who.int
- never charge money to apply for a job, register for a conference, or reserve a hotel
- never conduct lotteries or offer prizes, grants, certificates or funding through email.
The only call for donations WHO has issued is the COVID19 Solidarity Response Fund. Any other appeal for funding or donations that appears to be from WHO is a scam.
Advertising Scams
Another strategy of scammers to trick you is by means of advertising through phone messaging or email phishing.
The current economy situation due to Covid19 left most people in the world today to be out of jobs and some of them are desperate to find one to put food on their table. Many of them are tricked into becoming mules for scammer and thugs.
One of an example of advertising scheme are Unlicensed Money Lenders are advertising fake job adverts such as Covid19 ambassador or handing out advisories/pamphlets.
Due to the current Covid19 economy crisis, some may be tempted to apply without checking the validity of the jobs. These job adverts by unlicensed money lenders are actually recruitment to carry out unlicensed money lending activities.
Phone Scams impersonating Police or Goverment Officials
Covid19 situation will be with us for a long haul and scammers will take advantage on this sutuation to scam you or your loved ones.
One example is phone scamming.
While you are sipping away your cup of tea, you received a call from an unknown source to request for your passport or bank account number, internet banking credentials or One-Time Password (OTP).
The caller claims to be an employee of a bank or courier company and your identity was used to send parcels containing important documents to the relevent government authorities or to apply for overseas credit cards.
Thereafter, you are referred to another caller claiming to be an official from the Police or Government official, who will ask or even threaten you to give them your personal information.
Protect Yourself from Phone Scammers
You will need to protect yourself from thees scammers and follow the following.
- Do not obey or listen to the caller’s instructions. The scammers may threaten or tell you not to talk to anyone about your situation in order to deter you from verifying if it is a scam.
- Do not give bank details, credit card numbers, One Time Password.
- Put down the phone when you feel suspicious, block the number and report to the police.
