Beware of Coronavirus online scam warns the federal government

This article is published by ABC NEWS on Tue at 2:19pm 2020.

If you receive a text message that appears to be from the Federal Government about coronavirus, you should think twice before clicking on any links.

As Australians use their mobile phones more than ever to stay connected, cyber criminals are sending texts and emails to try to steal confidential details from unsuspecting people.

Since March, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has received more than 95
reports of Australians losing money or personal information as a result
of COVID-19-themed scams.

The ACSC has also responded to 20 cyber security incidents affecting either government departments or private businesses that are responding to the coronavirus crisis.

The centre’s Karl Hanmore says criminal groups are using coronavirus as a weapon online.

“Their job is to steal money [and] what they are doing is just trying to get you to click,” he says.

“What’s different is the focus. “If,right now, there’s nothing to worry about in the footy, the only thing
that they [the cyber criminals] can reliably work out you’re going to be
interested in is coronavirus, and so we’ve seen a trend towards that.”

Can you spot the difference?

In one case, a text message was sent to thousands of Australians on March 30 from what appeared to be the Federal Government.