Two new Internet-based scams are becoming popular as people work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a public warning issued by the investigators in the Durham Police Financial Crimes Unit.
The first is a Ransomware/Computer Extortion scam in which a potential victim receives an email stating a virus has been secretly installed on their computer. If the victim doesn’t send along $1,900 in bitcoin, incriminating photos, videos and computer history data will be exposed. The scammer shares the victim’s banking/email passwords for ‘proof’ they have information on them, police said.
The second scam becoming more popular is Spear Phishing, in which the scammer targets a person or business pretending to be someone they know from work via email or text. Then a request is made for either banking information, to click on a link (a virus) or to purchase gift cards. Scammers are using names familiar with the targeted victims, however the email addresses are slightly different, they added.
To stay safe online, here are some tips from the police:
- Install and update proper Internet security software
- Do not open attachments from unknown sources
- Check the email address domain carefully and verify its authenticity
- If you receive a request via text or email from a known contact, telephone your contact directly to ensure it is legitimate
- Do not engage with outside agencies contacting you by phone or computer message, telling you that your computer has virus and needs to be fixed
- Do not allow remote access to your computer
- If you believe your computer or electronic device has been compromised, contact a reputable service provider to clean any potential malware
- Change all passwords for the device including any applications installed on the device
The public is encouraged to report these incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and refer to their website for recent scams and further resources https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.