The City of London Police have issued an alert regarding scams now being undertaken by fraudsters, that play on peoples fears of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Fraudsters purporting to be from research organisation’s affiliated with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) contact potential victims over email. They claim to be able to provide the recipient with a list of Coronavirus infected people in their area. In order to access this information, the victim needs to click on a link, which leads to a malicious website, or is asked to make a payment in Bitcoin.

Watch out for scam messages:

Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.

Shopping online:

If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first. Never be afraid to ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases.

Protect your devices from the latest threats:

Always install the latest software and app updates to protect your devices from the latest threats.

You can view the full City Police ‘Fraud Alert’ via this link.