Steer Clear of Coronavirus Scams

If you are looking to protect against coronavirus scams in Ashford Kent, Canterbury, Maidstone and the surrounding communities of Kennington, Willesborough, Kingsnorth, Brabourne, Sellindge, Charing, Pluckley, Ham Street, Aldington, Mersham, Wye, Hothfield, Goddington, Little Chart, Brook, Egerton, Challock, Shadoxhurst and Hythe consider Flag Computer Repair, your best choice. Affordable Computer Repair Service. Local, mobile service. Industry certified. Free Collection.

corona scams at Flag Computer Repair Ashford Kent

Steer Clear of Coronavirus Scam

Coronavirus scams are shocking with the world grappling with a health pandemic. Regrettably, bad actors are everywhere, always looking for opportunities, and they’re seeing one in the coronavirus. This article outlines what you need to watch out for and how to stay cyber safe.

The last thing you want to read right now is that there’s another threat out there – sorry, but it’s true. Cybercriminals take advantage of fear. They take timely concerns and use them to target victims. Using the anxiety and upheaval around coronavirus is their mission.

So far, several coronavirus-related attempts to cyberscam people have been reported. There are examples of:

  • emails that appear to come from government health departments;
  • offering a tax refund to get people to click on malicious links;
  • memos to staff that appear to come from large employers;
  • COVID-19 test offerings from private companies;
  • fake websites promising to sell face masks or hand sanitizer;
  • soliciting donations to help fund a vaccine.

What to Watch Out For

Another concern is the number of bogus websites registered with names relating to COVID-19. The site can look legit but is set up to steal information or infect the victim’s computer with malware.

You may get an email promising the attached information offers coronavirus safety measures, or information shared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) if you click on the link, or a similar email pretending to be from a reputable news source, such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

In another example, an email impersonating a healthcare company’s IT team asked people to register for a seminar “about this deadly virus.” Anyone who didn’t question why IT was organising the meeting clicked to register. By filling out the form, they gave their details to hackers.

What to Do

Be cautious. It’s understandable that you’re anxious, but don’t let that stop you from taking cyber precautions. You should still:

  • be wary of anything that tries to play on your emotions and urges immediate action;
  • question where emails are coming from – remain vigilant even if the communication appears to come from a reliable source;
  • hover over links before clicking them to see where they will take you – for example, in the WSJ example, the Web address was for the “worldstreetjournal”;
  • avoid downloading anything you didn’t ask for;
  • doubt any deals that sound too good to be true (“a mask that stops the virus 99.7% of the time!”);
  • ignore any communications requesting your personal information;
  • don’t be suckered by fraudulent pleas for charity.

Global health organisations generally do not send out emails with advice. Instead, navigate directly to that reputable health institution for real news.

If you’re still not sure about the validity of the communication, check it out. Do so by calling or using another medium to get in touch with the “source” of the received message.

While there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, you can put anti-virus protection on your computer. Also, make sure that you’ve applied all available security updates to keep your software safe.

We hope you’ll take care and stay healthy both physically and online in these tough times.

Need help installing security software and keeping your technology safe? I can give your home a tech immunisation. Give me a call at 07976 151148

The best way to recover from a compromise, malware or system failure is to have a backup.

 I can provide a backup service to protect you from losing your photos and documents It will also help to protect you from Ransomware. You will be getting;

  • An Industry leading brand
  • I will manage and monitor to ensure you are protected.
  • I will provide, install and support the backup software
  • Free back recovery
  • Fully encrypted to protect your data
  • An external drive is included (if required)

If you get the backup service as part of my Total Protection Plan, I also offer FREE virus recovery.

Does your current provider offer that? Have you even got a backup? I offer this service from £16 per month. Contact me for more information

I send out computer tips and tricks updates twice a month, this is an example. Subscribe for FREE via This Link I’ll give you a free guide to the ‘Top Ten Tips for Staying Safe Online’ + FREE eBook “Is Your Tech Dragging You Down.”

I can help with:
Computer Repair
PC Repair
PC Tune-up
Virus Removal and Repair
Network Repair
Computer Monitoring Service
Data Recovery

Data Backup
New Device Setup

Scroll to Top