Staying safe at home doesn’t mean just staying away from the virus – it also means keeping safe from scammers online. There is an increase in scammers preying on our concerns and fears about the virus.
In just a week in April, we saw 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19 on Gmail. This is in addition to more than 240 million COVID-related daily spam messages.
To help with this problem, Google has recently created a new resource on the Google Safety Center to teach people how to spot scams and avoid them – from fake nonprofit donation requests to websites selling fraudulent products.
Here are some tips to look out for:
- Know how scammers may reach you
- Visit authoritative websites directly
- Be cautious of requests for personal or financial information
- Donate directly through nonprofit organizations
- Double check links and email addresses before clicking
- Search to see if it’s been reported
- Add an extra layer of security to your account
Read more here.
