Scammers are working hard to capitalize on the vulnerability created by the pandemic. There is a particularly effective email scam afoot these days that preys on people's fear of losing their jobs. We all know how precarious employment is these days, so those that are fortunate enough to have employment are typically more than willing to comply with any COVID-related precautions.
The subject line of this email scam can vary, but it is typically along the lines of:
"Mandatory COVID-19 Assessment for Employees"
The email often indicates that the assessment is necessary in order to maintain employment and then prompts the user to follow a link to a form where personal and financial information is collected that will allow the "employer" to arrange an assessment.
Scammers have been using the information to commit identity fraud and open accounts in the user's name. Beware that unlike many scams, these emails are well-written with proper grammar and spelling!
If you receive an email with a subject line similar to the one above, do not open it, simply delete it and forget about it. If you are unsure about the email's legitimacy, contact your employer to confirm whether or not the email was sent from them.
Be sure to set your email security settings to a level you are comfortable with and know how to block a sender if you suspect one is suspicious. As always, a trusted anti-virus program with a high detection-rate is highly recommended.
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