Spread of cyber scams

Uproot offenders capitalizing on people's fear about COVID-19

Cyber scams are surging amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of "smishing," or SMS phishing, cases has exceeded 10,000 since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Smishing is a criminal offense involving the use of fake emails or texts to dupe users into giving away sensitive personal information.

More recently, scammers have started sending smishing texts with fake website links to people, setting their eyes on the "emergency disaster relief money" that the central and local governments are scrambling to offer citizens to help them ride out the coronavirus crisis. If a self-employed or small business owner, who has already taken a big hit over the previous months, were to fall for a phishing email scam offering low-interest loans from the financial authorities it could spell financial ruin for them.

With the growing number of people working from home as part of social distancing efforts, there has also been a significant rise in hacking attempts targeting remote-work settings that lack security measures. The attacks are aimed at stealing employees' accounts to gain access to corporate intranet services and data centers.

It's not easy for ordinary people, especially the elderly, not to fall prey to phishing scams because coronavirus-themed offers are more tempting. That's why people should take extra caution when they receive suspicious emails and text requests. It's essential to be skeptical if you are to avoid being duped. Do not be cheated by offers that sound too good to be true and question emails and text messages that seem to be from friends or relatives. And of course, don't send money to someone you haven't met before.

The importance of the government's role in cracking down on cyber scams cannot be overemphasized, given that they can evolve into serious offenses. The biggest problem is that phishing scams inflict damage on many unspecified individuals. Law enforcement authorities should do their utmost to uproot the scammers cashing in on people's pandemic fears.