Scammers have created more than 35 500 unique websites related to Covid-19 in the last month, according to research by Atlas VPN, whereby they tried to swindle money via phishing scams or selling masks, hand-sanitisers and even virus testing kits.
The report also shows that at least 2 000 websites related to Covid-19 are created daily, with half of them being scams. Amazon and Shopify are taking matters into their own hands by removing misleading listings or shutting down suspicious e-shop sites.
“Due to the short supply, most trusted vendors are unable to provide medical equipment to customers,” says Rachel Welsh, chief operating officer of Atlas VPN. “People are panicking, which pushes them towards making irrational decisions. This way, they end up paying money to scammers.
“If well-known, trusted suppliers are out of stock, it is unlikely that an unknown website will have those items, especially when even government orders are being delayed.”
Meanwhile, Interpol announced receiving reports of losses as high as $100 000 per case. During March, the agency blocked 18 bank accounts and froze over $730 000 in fraudulent transactions.
Authorities in the UK also report significant cash losses among its citizens. Police identified 106 cases of fraud where coronavirus was mentioned, with victim losses totaling over $1,2-million.
Key findings in the report include:
• To this day, scammers have already created over 35 500 websites, selling hand sanitiser, face masks, and other coronavirus-related items.
• There has been a 1900% increase in coronavirus-related website scams from February to March.
• Amazon blocked or removed over 1-million coronavirus-related products.
• During March, Interpol announced blocking 18 bank accounts and freezing over $730 000 in fraudulent transactions.
• The coronavirus outbreak is transforming people’s shopping habits, making them choose online shopping options more frequently.