COVID-19 Vaccine Scam: Cyber fraudsters are taking advantage of people’s innocence by calling them and trapping them in their schemes related to the coronavirus vaccine. If you receive a call about the coronavirus vaccine, do not pay attention to it, as it could be a scam. Let’s find out how this fraud happens under the guise of the Corona vaccine.
Corona Vaccine Scam Alert: Over the past few days, there has been discussion about the coronavirus vaccine. This thing has given cyber hackers a new way to deceive people. These fraudsters call unsuspecting people on the phone, asking for information related to the coronavirus vaccine and then emptying their bank accounts. Innocent people easily fall into their trap, only to realize the damage later. Let’s find out how cybercriminals carry out this deception and how you can protect yourself from it.
Cyber fraud can happen in many ways. Some scammers use SMS messages, while others use social media to commit fraud. You might receive a message with a dangerous link, clicking on which could expose your information to hackers. Similarly, scammers create fake posts and ads on social media to mislead people.
Corona Vaccine Fraud
The biggest danger right now is fraud through phone calls. For cybercriminals, ‘phone calls’ are a quick way to deceive people within minutes. Let’s find out how fraudsters trap unsuspecting people under the guise of the coronavirus vaccine.
- Fraudsters pretend to be government health department officials or vaccine center authorities when they call you. They ask if you have taken the Corona vaccine or not.
- In many cases, they already have your information, which they verify over the phone.
- To confirm your answer, fraudsters send an OTP to your phone number.
- They ask you to provide the OTP to confirm your response. This is where the real game begins.
- Those who provide the OTP have their bank accounts hacked through the OTP.
- In this way, cybercriminals make people their prey under the guise of the Corona vaccine.
How to Protect Yourself from Corona Vaccine Fraud
- Do not respond to calls or SMS messages from any unknown person: If someone calls you claiming to be a government employee and asks about the corona vaccine, be cautious. Try to identify and verify their identity before providing any information.
- Get information related to the vaccine only from government websites and authorized sources.
- Also, inform your family and friends about this fraud so that they can stay vigilant too.
What to do if you are a victim of fraud?
If you have fallen victim to the corona vaccine scam, first inform the police. Also, inform your bank about this and ask them to block your card and account.
To report cybercrime, visit the website https://cybercrime.gov.in and file an online complaint. Use the CoWIN portal (https://www.cowin.gov.in) for information related to the Corona vaccine, certificate, etc.