Covid-19 threw our world into turmoil – from battling against a pandemic we never expected, all the way to keeping up with the contentious U.S. election. While we have had our eyes turned, cybercriminals have been watching and waiting to take advantage of poorly secured networks and distracted victims.
2020 has been riddled with cyberattacks, many taking form as a phishing link. That being said, here are last years top 5 phishing scams:
- The COVID-19 relief payment scam
U.S. citizens were warned about an SMS-based phishing scam teasing a $1,200 economic impact payment. Victims were lead to a phishing site imitating the IRS.gov payment website, where if entered, their payment information was stolen.
- Imitating the CDC
Some attackers posed as the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, claiming to direct readers to vaccine information and infection prevention measures.
- The small business loan lie
Businesses were especially vulnerable, as many have been struggling to keep their doors open, with some companies requiring long or short term loan options. Cybercriminals took advantage of this by imitating federal workers and contacting business owners, wanting personal information.
- Tax extension deadline schemes
With the Tax Day deadline in the U.S. extended to July 15 this year, cybercriminals seized the opportunity to send out phishing emails, texts and phone calls to steal tax refunds.
- Holiday charity fraud
Finally, many phishers took advantage of charitable people over the Christmas period. Americans were warned not to open any links sent from Charity Websites, without doing proper research first.
Click here to read more about the top 5 phishing scams of 2020, along with ways you can catch these attacks, whether you are trying to protect your business from scammers or simply an individual trying to stay extra secure.
