Coronavirus lockdown providing rich pickings for heartless criminals

Published: 18 April 2020

The coronavirus lockdown is providing rich pickings for heartless criminals. So far they have cheated victims out of £2 million, using the fear of Covid-19 to launch a wave of scams

The coronavirus lockdown is providing rich pickings for heartless criminals. So far they have cheated victims out of £2 million, using the fear of Covid-19 to launch a wave of scams that experts describe as 'sick'. TOBY WALNE and RACHEL WAIT advise you on how to thwart the fraudsters.

FINES FOR BREAKING FAKE LOCKDOWN RULES

The vast majority of people have dutifully obeyed self-isolation rules in recent weeks, but some criminals have exploited the situation and made up their own.

One particularly odious new trick involves fraudsters randomly texting people demanding they pay a £35 fine after allegedly being spotted leaving their home three times in a day – in defiance of Government coronavirus rules.

Scam: This text message demanding a £35 fine for leaving your home is a brazen fake

This is simply a made-up 'rule'. The text is dressed up to look as if it has come from the Government and even includes the emotive message: 'Protect the NHS. Save lives.' You are then told to press on a link 'for further information'.

It not only wants you to pay the fictitious penalty but to steal your bank details. Once a fraudster has enough personal information they can steal your ID and then take out credit cards in your name to go shopping. The moment any message asks you to verify personal details – either by phone, text or email – be on your guard.

Do not give out bank details, any passwords, or transfer money in response to such a request.

PHONEY OFFERS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Many workers have been furloughed resulting in the Government pledging to guarantee 80 per cent of their wages up to a monthly cap of £2,500.

But fraudsters have been quick to jump on the confusion many of them have about claiming this cash. One such scam is a fake 'Government' text offering £458 in 'its promise to battle COVID 19'.

Tap on the link and you are responding to dangerous fraudsters who want to steal your bank details to rob you of cash.

Similar scams are being perpetrated by cyber thieves using so-called 'phishing' emails. These include official looking messages being sent that offer 'relief packages' (financial help), tax breaks and 'free' school meals.

But click on the links given and you could end up downloading 'malware' that damages your computer, steals personal data or even spies on what you are doing on your computer.

This spying software is known as 'ransomware' as a criminal might later demand cash if you do not want your browsing history shared. Colin Tankard, of Harlow-based data security company Digital Pathways, says: 'Hackers see the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity – sick as this is. A rule everyone should follow is to think before you click.'

YOUR COMPUTER MAY BE VULNERABLE

Any official-looking correspondence you receive relating to coronavirus should be treated with caution.

Fraudsters know that pretending to be official is a con that lures in lawabiding people. Anything purporting to be sent by the Government, National Health Service, World Health Organisation, a bank or the Inland Revenue that is asking you to reveal private password information should be treated as a potential scam.

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Check the email address of the sender to see if it tallies with the real organisation's email address – and whether others have commented about it online as fraud. But even if a message comes from someone you trust, this does not mean they necessarily sent it.

A so-called 'Trojan horse' can embed software into a computer without you being aware. If a friend has been sent such a virus then this bad software can send out random emails from their email address without them knowing – and you could be a target.

You do not even have to do anything wrong to get swindled – you might have used a service that has been hacked. For example, last week it was discovered half a million users of video group meeting service Zoom had personal details such as passwords stolen – information now for sale on the dark web.

Although it is important to be vigilant you can help thwart fraudsters by installing antivirus software. You should also go into your computer settings to ensure your email 'spam' filter is set to high.

HOW SHOPPERS ARE BEING RIPPED OFF

Criminals are using the rise in demand for face masks and hand sanitisers to send out emails promising to sell such essentials.

The items you pay for never get sent. Sales scams are even taking place at people's front doors, with criminals offering fictional coronavirus test kits or phoney health checks.

Consumer group Which? says: 'There are some nasty scams happening where criminals are taking advantage of older people by knocking on their door.

'These can involve offering to take a vulnerable person's temperature or pretending to be from the Red Cross and giving a coronavirus test.'

If someone uninvited tries to sell you a service at the door, do not let them inside.

Contact the police and Action Fraud.

In the past few weeks, Action Fraud has received reports of almost 700 coronavirus-related crimes swindling people out of a total of about £2 million.

Visit actionfraud.police.uk

Have you received a scam text or email in recent days? Send details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.