The U.S. Secret Service on Monday urged Americans to remain vigilant in the face of efforts by cybercriminals to exploit the ongoing international deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Online scam artists are capitalizing on fears caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as well as the kindness of individuals inclined to help those affected, the agency warned.
“Criminals are opportunists, and as seen in the past, any major news event can become an opportunity for groups or individuals with malicious intentions. The Coronavirus is no different,” the Secret Service said in a press release.
In one type of scam cited by the Secret Service, widely distributed emails purporting to contain information about the coronavirus include malicious attachments that can infect the computers of individuals who open them; in another, cybercriminals are soliciting donations on social media services for fraudulent causes supposedly involving the respiratory disease.
The Secret Service also noted that an increase in the number of people working from home as a result of the coronavirus furthers their reliance on communicating via email and accordingly encouraged them to practice “increased vigilance.”
Recipients of emails involving the coronavirus should avoid opening attachments or clicking on links contained in messages from senders they do not recognize, and individuals should exercise increased caution when considering donating to charitable organizations, the agency advised.
Internationally, more than 109,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed since the disease was discovered in December, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has placed the number of domestic infections at 423 and counting as of Monday afternoon.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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