Coronavirus scammers have stolen almost £1 million pounds from unsuspecting members of the public.
Action Fraud, the UK’s fraud and cyber reporting centre, says they expect the number of ploys taking advantage of Covid-19 fears will go up.
More than 100,000 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the disease, and upwards of 3,000 have died.
A statement from Action Fraud said that £800,000 had been taken by scammers in 21 cases.
Ten of these cases relate to websites fraudulently saying they were selling masks.
In one example, a business owner paid more than £15,000 for a bulk shipment of face covers that never arrived.
Other scams that have been reported include fraudsters offering cheap travel tickets because of the worldwide outbreak and not delivering items with the coronavirus blamed as the reason.
In some cases, criminals are pretending to be from Chinese banks, and telling those who bank through China that they need to transfer money as Covid-19 is causing problems.
Another common tactic appears to be scammers sending emails that look like they are from the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and providing information about people with the coronavirus in the target’s area.
But when the victim clicks on a link it turns out to be ransomware.
Action Fraud suggests: “Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.
“If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a cred
