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Law360, London (May 29, 2020, 12:19 PM BST ) More than 2,000 Britons have lost over £4.6 million ($5.7 million) to fraudsters seeking to exploit fears over the COVID-19 pandemic, figures published Friday reveal.
Criminals are using the internet, telephone calls and texts and even visits to people's homes in their attempts to obtain money or data that could allow them to commit identity theft, the national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime warned.
The number of coronavirus-themed phishing attempts stands at more than 11,000, Action Fraud said. These usually involve sending an email attempting to trick people into opening malicious attachments, which could allow criminals to steal their banking details, email logins and passwords.
Some crooks are attempting to exploit the economic downturn and take advantage of people being forced to work from home: they capitalize on slow networks and IT problems to commit computer software service fraud.
There have also been reports of online shopping scams, Action Fraud said. People forced to self-isolate because of the coronavirus have fallen victim to fraud when they pay for supplies which do not arrive.
Action Fraud also warned that criminals are exploiting concerns over the current market turmoil to dupe victims out of their cash through what is known as lender loan fraud. Fraudsters charge an upfront fee for arranging a loan but their target does not get the loan.
Consumers have been warned about so-called pension liberation frauds. These scams exploit anxieties about unsettled markets to persuade investors to dip into their pension pots.
The Pensions Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money and Pensions Service jointly warned in April that savers should not make rash pensions decisions as fraudsters prey on fears over the impact of the pandemic. Such frauds attempt to lure people with offers that look too good to be true, such as high-return investments.
The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Centre has also reported the removal of more than 2,000 online coronavirus scams in the last month. These include fake online shops selling virus-related items that never arrived and more traditional malware and phishing operations.
Fraudsters have also spoofed government websites, asking for donations to the National Health Service or pretending to offer tax refunds from HM Revenue & Customs in an attempt to gather financial details.
--Additional reporting by Richard Crump. Editing by Ed Harris.
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