Tips to manage the threat of COVID-19 related phishing attacks

Criminals are leveraging fear over the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) to scam your financial institutions and consumers. By disguising themselves as a group or organization seeking financial support to help individuals or communities in need at this time. More and more of these phishing attacks are being reported, and it is important your staff and consumers know what to look for and what to do to protect themselves from giving out private information to these criminals.

These scams are being sent out through various communication channels – text messages, phone calls, and emails – and contain requests for personal or financial information, such as a card number, account number, and online banking information. The aim is to leverage this stolen information to fraudulently open a new account, either in branch or online, under your accountholder’s name.

With COVID-19, most organizations and individuals are facing interrupted environments and priorities at work and in our day-to-day lives, and criminals are taking full advantage. Help arm your employees and accountholders with tools and information to keep their guard up during this complicated time, so they don’t have the added stress of being hit with one of these malicious attacks.