While the world continues to navigate life during a pandemic, countless families and individuals are struggling financially. In a truly malicious response to the situation, scammers are launching phishing attacks that claim to offer financial assistance to those in need.

The phishing email impersonates your local government and it states that you are eligible to receive financial aid. You’re directed to click a link in the email for more information. If you click the link, you are taken to a phony government website. The site asks for personally identifiable information, including your social security number. Once you’ve provided this information, the site claims that you will be contacted regarding your aid. Don’t be fooled! Anything you enter here is sent directly to the cybercriminals.

This past July, Twitter fell victim to an infamous social engineering attack. The attack gave hackers control of over one hundred high-profile accounts - from politicians to celebrities. The hackers used these accounts to scam Twitter followers out of money. Now, cybercriminals are using this event as bait for a convincing phishing scam.

The phishing email uses text that is very similar to the official statement that Twitter made in response to the July attack. The email claims that due to a security breach, you must confirm your identity by clicking on a link in the email. If you click the link, you are redirected to a site that looks very similar to the real Twitter login page. The site is actually a look-alike designed to steal your login credentials. Any information that you enter on this page is delivered straight to the bad guys.

Don’t be fooled! Follow these tips:

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact organizations across the globe. This hardship gives cybercriminals the perfect bait: a promise of financial relief. Currently, cybercriminals are impersonating the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) with a very convincing phishing email. While this specific scam targets organizations in the US, this tactic could be used in any country, for any kind of relief fund.