April 29, 2020
Help Your Groups and Their Employees Avoid Phishing Scams
Support for group clients: We’re hearing about phishing scams that take advantage of the current health crisis to steal personal information.
Some examples:
- Members received calls from scammers claiming to be their “insurance representatives” and asking to schedule a teleconference with them to “discuss benefits.”
- Members received calls from scammers promising COVID-19 test kits in exchange for their personal and insurance information.
- An electronic signature company reported a phishing campaign suggesting to members that “contract documents associated with their ‘COVID-19 Affidavit’ for property are completed.” The scam links members to a fake landing page to collect their personal information. The company cautions members to not click on the links in the email, and to delete the email.
Share these tips and resources that can help protect groups and members:
- Be cautious of emails with COVID-19-related subject lines, attachments or hyperlinks, and social media pleas, texts or calls related to COVID-19.
- Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails.
- Use trusted sources like legitimate government websites
for facts about COVID-19. - Do not disclose personal or financial information in an email or respond to email or phone solicitations for this information.
- Verify a charity's authenticity before making donations. Review the Federal Trade Commission's information about
charity scams for more information. - Resource: Tips from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Using Caution with Email Attachments and Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Scams .
