The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) called on the public to be more cautious when buying medical supplies online amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as criminals are increasingly profiting from the situation running numerous financial frauds
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2020) The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) called on the public to be more cautious when buying medical supplies online amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as criminals are increasingly profiting from the situation running numerous financial frauds.
"With surgical masks and other medical supplies in high demand yet difficult to find in retail stores as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, fake shops, websites, social media accounts and email addresses claiming to sell these items have sprung up online. But instead of receiving the promised masks and supplies, unsuspecting victims have seen their money disappear into the hands of the criminals involved," Interpol said in a statement.
According to the Interpol, the scam related to online purchases of medical supplies is just one of the variety of other existing frauds connected to the pandemic situation.
"Scams linked to the virus include: telephone fraud criminals call victims pretending to be clinic or hospital officials, who claim that a relative of the victim has fallen sick with the virus and request payments for medical treatment; phishing emails claiming to be from national or global health authorities, with the aim of tricking victims to provide personal credentials or payment details, or to open an attachment containing malware," the statement added.
Moreover, criminals often impersonated prominent companies using the same Names, logos and email addresses, Interpol warned.
The World Health Organization declared the spread of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. The total number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 130,000, with a death toll of over 4,900 and recoveries exceeding 68,000.
