--- title: 10 Things I know about… COVID-19 scams description: 10 Things I know about… COVID-19 scams --- [![TowerWall](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/head-logo-2.svg "TowerWall")](https://towerwall.com/) [![TowerWall](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/towerwall-logo-white-test.svg "TowerWall")](https://towerwall.com/) - [Our Partners](https://towerwall.com/how-we-protect-you/our-technology-partners/) - Our Solutions - - Our Cybersecurity Solutions - We operationalize infosec, building security solutions that safeguard your most critical assets. - - [Solutions Overview](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/) - [Risk Assessments & Security Reviews](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/risk-assessments-security-reviews/) - [Program & Policy Development](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/program-policy-development/) - [Incident Response & Remediation](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/incident-response-remediation/) - 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[Our Team](https://towerwall.com/company/our-team/) - [Our Approach](https://towerwall.com/our-approach/) - [Our Values](https://towerwall.com/company/our-values/) - - [Awards & Recognition](https://towerwall.com/company/awards-recognition/) - [Certifications & Affiliations](https://towerwall.com/company/certifications-affiliations/) - [Community Involvement](https://towerwall.com/company/community-involvement/) - [Careers](https://towerwall.com/company/careers/) - [Contact Us](https://towerwall.com/company/contact-us/) Topics Worcester Business Journal, Phishing, Coronavirus, malware, ransomware, COVID-19, cannabis, Enterprise # 10 Things I know about… COVID-19 scams [By Michelle Drolet](https://blog.towerwall.com/author/towerwall2020) [Read More](https://blog.towerwall.com/author/towerwall2020) 1 Minute Read April 22, 2020 ### 10. Pandemic panic Criminals thrive during a crisis, knowing people under stress and distraction are more prone to readily click a text or email link without thought to its legitimacy. As such, COVID-19-related phishing attacks [grew 600% in the first quarter](https://www.teiss.co.uk/covid-19-related-phishing-attacks-grew-by-600-worldwide/). ### 9. FTC Warnings The Federal Trade Commission [just reported](https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/news-archive/coronavirus/coronavirus-related-scams-rack-up-12-million/) $12 million in coronavirus scams calling it the tip of the iceberg and warning of low-hanging fruit brought on by at-home workers and shadow IT operations i.e., when employees run amuck with their own apps, systems and devices. ### 8) Robocallers Purporting to offer free COVID-19 test kits, face masks, sanitizer and even fake cures, as a way to collect your personal and health insurance information, asking for payment over the phone. ### 7) Fake IDs Text message scams impersonating the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informs recipients they must take a mandatory online COVID-19 test. ### 6) Freed money Scammers using federal stimulus checks as a ruse to make people verify their personal information or bank account details in order to release the funds. ### 5) Charity exploit Phone calls and texts impersonating the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control falsely making donation requests or promising safety measures for protecting against coronavirus. ### 4) Leaky indeed Consumers receiving robocalls from HVAC duct cleaners promising to protect your home, office, and family from the deadly coronavirus. ### 3) Job/loan scams Beware of sudden COVID-19-themed work-from-home opportunities, alleged student loan forgiveness or repayment plans, U.S. Small Business Administration loans, online listing verification, and debt consolidation offers. ### 2) Connectivity scare Internet routers used from home are being targeted by hijacking attacks redirecting users to fake COVID-19 resources; some Android users experience screen locking, forcing users to reset passwords. ### 1) Getting buy-in Convince senior managers to take threats seriously: Conduct war games, asking the CEO to respond in real-time to worse-case scenarios proposed by cybersecurity experts. [This article was originally posted in Worcester Business Journal >](https://www.wbjournal.com/article/10-things-i-know-about-covid-19-scams) #### 10 Things I know about… COVID-19 scams Back to Top ## Related Insights ### [10 Best Practices for Securing Your Cannabis Business in 2020](https://blog.towerwall.com/10-best-practices-for-securing-your-cannabis-business-in-2020) Worcester Business Journal, Phishing, Coronavirus, malware, ransomware, COVID-19, cannabis, Enterprise ### [10 Things I Know About ... 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