Avoid COVID-19 Scams

While hard times often bring out the best in people, all too often it also brings out the worst as well. Criminals and Cybercriminals are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to exploit people, gaining personal data or stealing money.
Below are some tips to help you stay safe.

Make sure you have virus software activated and up to date

Don’t open or click on links in emails from unknown senders

Don’t enter your ID or passwords into sites requesting password resets or pretending to be from financial institutions or payment services

Be careful dealing with callers over the phone and don’t pass on personal information or passwords to them.

As a precaution, avoid clicking links in emails that:

Are not addressed to you by name, have poor English or omit personal details that a legitimate sender would include

Claim to be from the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the Australian Department of Health. Unless you work in healthcare, it is unlikely that WHO or the Department of Health will be sending you emails on COVID-19

Are asking for payment or donation via cryptocurrency or gift card

Ask you to download any files

Take you to a landing page or website that does not have the legitimate URL of the company the email is being sent from.

You can stay up to date on the latest online threats and how to respond, by sign up to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s scam watch. If you suspect you have been subject to suspicious activity or notice transactions on your account that you cannot identify please contact your financial institution.