Summary
Scammers often take advantage of health scares to distribute phishing scams. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spawn dozens of such campaigns, scaring recipients into clicking on harmful links or attachments in emails, text messages or social media posts.
Body
Overview
Scammers often take advantage of health scares to distribute phishing scams. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spawn dozens of such campaigns, scaring recipients into clicking on harmful links or attachments in emails, text messages or social media posts.
Examples of COVID-19 Scams
- Fabricated notices from health organizations (e.g., the CDC or local/state health departments)
- Fake updates from an employer about policies or procedures to address the risk
- Phony websites containing maps and dashboards
- Information about protecting yourself, your children or your community that contains malicious links or attachments
- Charitable appeals to help victims of the virus, which are not legitimate
How to Protect Against COVID-19/Coronavirus Scams
Be vigilant for COVID-19/coronavirus scams during the coming weeks. If you suspect a message may be a phishing scam, please report it by forwarding the email message as an attachment (or reporting a text or social media post) to phish@pitt.edu.
Tips for spotting phishing scams—along with detailed instructions for reporting suspicious email messages—are available on our Phishing Awareness page. Go directly to health or government sites, such as cdc.gov/coronavirus, to find updated information about the virus and its spread. Visit the University’s official emergency management website at emergency.pitt.edu/covid-19 for the latest news at Pitt.