Hackers often seize trending online topics like the new coronavirus in scam emails, texts and phone calls as a way to get potential victims’ attention and install malware on their devices or gain access to sensitive information.
As COVID-19 cases spread across the globe at an alarming rate, more and more people are searching coronavirus-related terms and precautionary measures. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued alerts warning people of COVID-19-related scam emails and texts in mid-February.
“We want people to just take a moment, stop, realize that scammers cast a wide net and that they are opportunistic,” Colleen Tressler, FTC consumer education specialist, told FOX Business.
