The recent Federal Bureau of Investigations Internet Crime Report shows that cybercrime has spiked, leaving hundreds of thousands of victims and costing more than $4 billion. The FBI received a record number of reports last year totaling 791,790, a 69% growth from 2019. Moreover, losses due to internet crime increased by $700 million, growing from [...]
You may have noticed that nestled in with baby announcements, social-distancing birthday photos and dog snaps, social media posts are now also featuring people celebrating getting their COVID-19 vaccinations. It’s natural that after a year of living under pandemic restrictions people are eager to share their experiences with the shot. One thing you should [...]
As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to become available to more people, be aware of potential phishing scams related to the vaccine. It’s important to stay vigilant to certain warning signs prevent you from being a phishing scam. Two vaccines to prevent coronavirus infections have now been granted authorization for emergency use. Every day thousands of [...]
As unemployment numbers continue to climb, so do fake employer scams that are preying on those searching for work. In fact, there have been triple-digit increases in fake employer scams that aim to gain access to personal and financial information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online human resources schemes where criminals pose as potential employers have [...]
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought a lot of uncertainty into the lives of many Americans. Over the span of just a few months, the number of unemployed individuals rose by 14 million. In response, many people have turned to the “gig economy” for supplemental income. The Labor Market The gig economy refers to the share [...]
Scammers are now targeting Google and Amazon customers the most frequently with brand phishing attacks, according to a new report. A recent study by security company Check Point found that Google and Amazon customers tie for the most phishing attacks aiming to steal their personal information at 13% of total attacks during the second quarter [...]
Across the country, states have implemented contact tracing programs to help track the spread of the coronavirus. Contact tracing is the process of finding individuals who have come in contact with a person who has COVID-19, learning about their movements and asking them to quarantine or monitor their symptoms. Contact tracers are hired by [...]
As headlines focus on coronavirus-related scams, the related healthcare industry also continues to be a top target for cybercriminals. This year alone more than 3 million patient records have been exposed, according to Health It Security. Top 5 Healthcare Data Breaches This Year 1. Health Share of Oregon More than 654,000 patients had their [...]
There’s no surprise that COVID-19 has impacted people and businesses in all kinds of negative ways within the past couple of months. Unemployment rates have risen quickly, and many businesses have had to close due to inactivity. To help those looking for additional income, here is a list of survey-taking jobs that are easy to [...]
Business clients applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with Bank of America may have had their personal and business information exposed in a data breach, according to a letter the bank sent to affected customers. The data breach occurred on April 22 as Bank of America uploaded customers’ PPP loan applications to the [...]
Illinois residents filing for coronavirus-related unemployment using the state’s new online system might have had their personal information exposed. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D, announced the Illinois Department of Employment Security experienced a system “glitch” after launching this week. The system, a new online portal, has been set up for contractors and self-employed residents filing for [...]
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have issued a warning that China is attempting to hack the networks of U.S. organizations, pharmaceutical companies and health care professionals working on coronavirus vaccines and research. The federal agencies called research institutions, companies and others working on the COVID-19 response “prime targets” for Chinese cyberattacks. [...]
Protecting your identity is an essential aspect of maintaining healthy credit and financial security. This is especially true in the age of COVID-19 scams, data breaches, cybersecurity threats and identity theft, when becoming a victim of fraud can do lasting damage to your credit and finances. The longer that identity theft continues unnoticed, the [...]
Scammers have been registering coronavirus-related domain website names daily in order to commit fraud, according to new reports. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals have been registering malicious sites with names that include “coronavirus” and “COVID-19”. They also are using combinations of the pandemic names and the word “vaccine”. Reports are showing malicious [...]
A data breach in the Small Business Association (SBA) loan application portal may have exposed the personal information of thousands of businesses last month as they submitted emergency loan applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Washington Post. The SBA has seen a large influx of applications from struggling businesses seeking emergency loans [...]
With hackers and scammers going to unprecedented lengths to steal information during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to know about tools you can use to help make it more difficult for criminals to access your information. While data security and identity theft are complicated issues, taking steps to reduce your exposure doesn’t have to [...]
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, having an emergency savings fund is important for handling unexpected expenses. From job loss to reduced income to other unplanned issues, it is important to save up a few months’ worth of expenses to weather financial storms. Building a strong emergency savings fund takes more than slipping [...]
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused enormous financial insecurity across the country, with more than 10 million Americans applying for unemployment last month alone. If you’ve been financially affected, you’re probably worried about how you’re going to pay your bills. Timely bill payments aren’t just important to maintain your housing, services and other essentials. You [...]
As many of us are working from home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, now is the time to be especially vigilant when it comes to protecting personal and business data online. Here are three tips to help secure your data. 1. Use a virtual private network (VPN). Securing employee access with a VPN can give [...]
The coronavirus pandemic has already dealt a severe blow to the American economy and has caused financial insecurity for countless citizens. The situation seems poised to get worse before it gets better. If you’re experiencing financial hardship – such as a job loss or reduced income – because of COVID-19-related circumstances, there are local, state [...]
