Relief benefits
From COVID to CERB, and most recently, Fiona, scammers target people at their most vulnerable. Targets receive unsolicited contact offering "government support" for relief. They can pose as government or non profit groups or simply scammers looking to use COVID as a cover for fraud.
Means of contact
- Letters
- Emails
- Phone calls
- Links to websites
COVID-19 added an entirely new category of scams, all targeted at vulnerable people who had legitimate fears. From counterfeit vaccine passports and unapproved drugs, to home testing kits and fraudulent relief funds, scammers took advantage of people's anxiety during a global pandemic.
Tactics used
- Emails or texts with malicious attachments
- Counterfeit travel documents
- Fraudulent home care
- Offers of medical care, or advice
- Government assistance or compensation
- Fraudulent charities requesting funds for victims, research, etc
- Offers of loans, debt consolidation or air purifying