Scams leveraging coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) as a lure have stolen tens of millions of dollars from their victims. As of April 16, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had received 20,334 consumer reports of fraud attempts pertaining to the coronavirus since the beginning of the year. Those attacks that proved successful had caused their victims more than $15 million in damages at the time of writing.Unfortunately, both of those figures are likely to grow as time goes on. How could it not when Google revealed that it had spotted 18 million coronavirus-themed malware and phishing emails within a week’s time? Not only that, but officials within the FTC said that these scams could last for years, as reported by KCRA News.No one knows how long any of this is going to last. It’s therefore all the more important to stay up-to-date with the latest scams as malicious actors continue to employ new tactics and techniques. Here are some COVID-19 ruses that made headlines over the past week.Fake Coronavirus Instructions from the White HouseIt was only a matter of time before COVID-19 scammers started impersonating the White House. In an email detected by Inky, digital fraudsters informed recipients that the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury had decided to push Tax Day off until August 15, 2020. They then instructed users and businesses alike to click on a link in orde ..
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