Coronavirus Phishing Attacks: How to Protect from COVID-19 Phishing Scams?

Nowadays for security purposes, every bank and its security department always trying to alert you about your bank account and COVID-19 related phishing attacks. You might be heard before many times about online fraud cases that happened to the people with their bank accounts. Email phishing attacks have increased due to Coronavirus. As a matter of fact, if you see in the world of internet, there are many fraud people, who always trying to make phishing attacks according to your bank accounts.
Avoid cyberattacks while working at home —
Every bank always tries to continue educating their customers for the security reason. Computer emergency response team-India [CERT-In] has issued an announcement regarding a potential large scale phishing attack, against Indian people and the business, whether it may small-scale business or large scale business. For more information, you can visit CERT(.)IN website. The purpose of saying all of these things is that, you have to alert from fake messages, E-mails claiming offers, cash backs or reward offers while dealing with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) phishing scams. It can be very risky for you, for your bank account and your business as well.

Today we all are suffering from the dangerous CORONA virus and because this some fraud people take advantage of it. The most possibility is that COVID-19 phishing attacks are likely to be carried out by malicious artists and it may come in your mobile message or E-mail and from many sources. In this situation, many people work to oversee the distribution of government financial aid and they have to implicate government agencies, departments and trade associations in the phishing campaign.

I am here providing you with most working preventive measures and useful tips for safe banking activities. You have to look at all the following points very carefully and apply this according to your bank accounts and for your security purposes.

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Coronavirus Phishing Attacks: How to Protect Against COVID-19 Phishing Scams

You need to understand dealing with phishing attacks/scams/fake mails/messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. These coronavirus phishing threats are continuously dodging your typical web, cloud security, and secured email firewalls too. Secure your company from growing COVID-19 phishing attacks.

10 Preventive measures for COVID-19 phishing email scams:

1. Don't open and click on the attachment in unsolicited e-mails, SMS or messages through social media.

Social media is much helpful to get connect with people easily and it brings the world closer but as much as it is also more dangerous for many reasons. In this lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic, almost every bank recommend their customers to do their transactions online. Everyone may use internet banking, mobile banking or UPI based applications, people have more user friendly with these activities.

Only a few clicks you can make your transactions easily by sitting at your home. Nowadays it is a possibility that you will get attached and unsolicited e-mails, SMS and messages. Because lack of knowledge some people assume that the link is provided by the bank because and they unknowingly click on such links.

Phishing links are kind of fraudulent that might asks you for your bank details and sensitive data. You have to understand that no bank ever asks you to share your sensitive data. Like personal information or account details or they never call you and ask these personal things. Do not click unknown links asking for your confidential details such as ATM PIN, Internet banking, User ID, Password, and card details.

2. Be careful when you click on attachment links, although the sender seems to be known.

In your e-mail inbox and on your mobile phone, there is every day you may receive a lot of messages and emails. But that doesn't mean that you have to click and follow all the links that you receive. Probably, phishing links are a type of attached links that asks you to your sensitive data.

Whatever message or link you have received via email or SMS, make sure that there is no mention any bank related information and ask you to your data. You can't trust anyone even if the sender seems to be known for you, you have to avoid such fake SMS and emails attached links and never click on that.

3. Beware of spelling errors in email addresses and be careful about unfamiliar email senders.

A lot of people around us who create fake mail ids for frauding up to the people. There are a lot of fraud mails and unfamiliar emails accounts have on the internet. You just have to pay close attention to email address. Many people have not able to pay their close attention to the email address and the spelling errors on the emails.

Because lack of knowledge and information regarding online activities, people even don't know and can't able to recognise such fraud links and this is where maximum numbers of people will get stuck into the problem. Not only just Emails and messages they send but also they even call you that might be asking your banking details in order to receive money from public health organisations or any government department. Beware from such fraud calls and do not share anything with anyone.

4. Do not submit personal financial details on unfamiliar or unknown websites and links.

In the world of Internet, there are tons of websites are available in the online market. Also, many websites are creating day today on the internet. But there are some fraud and unfamiliar websites also have on the internet that asks you about your financial and personal details. Do not submit your single detail on their website. It may your financial details or personal details.

Phishing links and such websites are either ask you to do investment that you will get huge returns on it, that direct into your bank account or they offer you a commission basis schemes that to make transactions using your bank account. Make sure to don't give any kind of information it will be very risky for you according to your finance and bank account. In fact, no bank worth to ask you about to share your sensitive information or bank related details over E-mail and by texting you.

5. Beware of links that providing special offers such as e-mail, COVID-19 testing aid, winning prizes and cashback offers.

As we all know that we are suffering from a dangerous virus of CORONA. Because the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the fraud people are taking advantage of the situation around us. Maintain privacy in mail communication.

On your mobile and your mailbox or can receive any message or mail by that telling you about special offers, COVID- 19 free tests, winning prises, and cashback offers. But you have to make sure that all this information is nothing but garbage for you. Beware from such offered links and information. They send you offers related links only for frauding up to you. Never fall on such fake offers and links and never click on that.

6. Check the integrity of the URL's before providing login credential or clinking a link.

There are different types of URL on the internet. Some fraud links have seems like a different way.

Before clicking on any of the links, make sure to check the integrity of that URL link. Before providing login credential it is must to check URL length and it's reality. If it seems different from other URL, do not click on it.

7. Protect and encrypt your all the personal data and documents stored on the internet.

Keeping your passwords, financial, and other personal information safe and protected from outside intruders has long been a priority of businesses, but it's increasingly critical for consumers.

Google Drive, email, cloud storage and many other storage places have them on the internet. People filled their storages with personal documents and many other personal data. Make sure to keep protect all your documents over the internet.

You must know; How to Stay Safe Online | Internet Security Alliance

8. Always choose safe browsing tools while banking transactions.

A lot of browsing tools are available in the browser settings. Make sure to use safe browser settings while doing any transactions according to your bank. Many useful options are there, like autofill option, save the password, remember password and more tools that browser provides for better user experience. Sometimes these browsing tools are very risky for you.

Avoid storing your sensitive information in the browser like username, password, debit and credit card information, or any other information.

9. Download apps from official stores.

We download a lot of applications, it may gaming apps, entertaining apps or banking-related apps. Here I would like to suggest you install any application from the official stores. Always download applications from official app store. Because this is verified and any apps have protected. Other than like I said above some unofficial links and attached links are asking you to download by clicking on it.

Do not install applications from attached downloaded from unknown websites or emails.

10. Never install screen sharing apps if asked by an unknown person.

As we all know in the online market there are numbers of scree sharing applications available. such applications have many uses and it uses for professional and for learning from one screen to another.

But some fraud people take advantage of this such screen sharing apps, they ask people to download such app from Google and then they able to connect your mobile with them. After they can access and all your mobile controls without your presence. Make sure to do not install such applications by if asked any unknown or third person.

Before leaving, recently I posted, one of the most important informative page, you might like to check; 14 Useful Tips for Safe Banking Practices and Security Guidelines [Online Banking Security]