The art of scamming dates a long way back, usually it preys on the weak and weary and manipulates them into getting into something they typically wouldn't under different circumstances. Now on the deep web, they are thriving, among those are the ones who are selling blood and saliva from coronavirus survivors.
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Here's What You Should Know
The pandemic has given many hackers, scammers, and con-artists a good profit. Giving people what they want to hear in the time of need.
The ad on Own Shop, which is a famous dark web market, claims that the vendor has been infected by the coronavirus and has survived, in which he or she is now selling her blood and saliva in hopes of a quick buck.
The theory that once you survived the coronavirus, you will be immune to the effects of the coronavirus.
The post says, "I do this to provide for my family financially," and is being sold off at a hefty price of 1,000 USD. This hoax is part of many which surged from the COVID-19 pandemic scams out there on the deep web. This is a thriving place for criminals to exploit people and use their fears against you to purchase things you wouldn't normally do.
Other scams such as rapid COVID-19 test kits, temperature detectors, as well as going as far as the coronavirus vaccine itself.
A report given from global intelligence firm IntSights that was published just on Tuesday morning said, "The limited availability of coronavirus testing - especially in countries like the United States - leads to demand for such products in black markets," which also added, "In all likelihood, however, these 'products' are in no way real, and buyers would be scammed out of their money."
What You Should Be Wary Of
All types of people from hackers, cybercriminals, scammers, and even state-sponsored groups are all taking advantage of the pandemic to gain dominance inside secure government networks. They do this to exploit people's money, letting you buy fake items, and of course, getting your personal information.
The most popular tactic out there for cybercriminals is to register and create websites using names like "covid" or "corona" to trick people into thinking these are legitimate websites and official domains.
According to IntSights data, from the whole of 2019, only 190 domains were registered with words like "covid" or "corona." Fast forward to March; there are over 38,000 domains registered.
Some of the sites are indeed legitimate, but most of them are for mischievous purposes. IntSights query led to ransomware used by cybercriminals, and one of them even wrote this, "If I want, I could even infect your whole family with the coronavirus, reveal all your secrets. There are countless things I could do,"
It may not be the most harmful threat, but people would still buy it, again relying on the fear within you.
Even the World Health Organization is not safe from those cyberattacks and has since doubled during the coronavirus pandemic.
The report said, "Hackers are relentlessly targeting healthcare networks, endpoints, and Internet of Things devices in hopes to make [money]," and also added, "Ransomware is still running rampant in the industry, shutting down entire hospitals and disabling life-saving medical devices."
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