Malicious actors never let a crisis go to waste, and with the rise of COVID-19, United Nations officials have noted a 600% increase in malicious email during the pandemic. This report, combined with similar accounts from various news agencies, conveys a clear message: cybercrime is on the rise, and we must be vigilant now more than ever.
I’m asking each of you to continue your diligence and heightened awareness of phishing, malicious email, calls and text messages seeking to take advantage of the pandemic. Together we can lead with integrity and combat these schemes by remembering to always examine the tone, content and grammatical accuracy of any email you receive. Be particularly wary of emails that attempt to evoke emotional responses, such as urgency, curiosity, greed or fear! If you find yourself feeling an emotion like this, do not respond or interact with the email; instead, ask yourself the following:
- Is the email coming from an internal or external entity (some companies indicated “EXTERNAL” as a tag in the subject line)?
- Does the email appear to be an attempt to impersonate an internal employee or department?
- Is the sender asking for your ID and/or password?
- Is the sender asking you to urgently or immediately visit an unfamiliar website?
- Are there attachments in the email that you’re being asked to immediately open?
- Are there grammatical issues with the email?
- Is an unknown entity offering something free or claiming you have won something that sounds too good to be true?
If the answer is “Yes” to any of the above questions, don’t open it. delete the email immediately. You may work for a company that requires you click on a “Report Phishing button” or forward the email to security department.
The bad guys will continue to end malicious email and try to take advantage of the situation. Please remain vigilant and help us maintain confidence in the banking industry by ensuring the security of transaction and banking data. Together we can “Think Secure. Be Secure.”
