Stopping the compulsion to supply any personal information to strangers is the best vaccine against loss of privacy and finances!

After almost a year of using pandemic-linked topics for phishing and scamming, cybercrooks are well on their way to leveraging the vaccine push.

Researchers from Kaspersky have discovered various types of ploys in use. As well as spam mails, invitations for ‘vaccinations’ are also sent out, to lure victims to take part in a survey, or to diagnose COVID-19 symptoms.

For instance, some users from the UK are receiving an email that appeared to come from the country’s National Health Service. The recipients invited for the vaccinated but first have to confirm their desire to be vaccinated by following a link. As a result, unwary victims hand their financial and personal data to attacker.

An example of a phishing email writing on behalf of the UK National Health Service

Other vaccination baits

Another way to gain access to users’ personal data has been through organization fake vaccination surveys. Scammers send emails impersonating COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, inviting the recipient to take part in a short survey to get rewards.

To receive the prize, victims will of course be asked to fill out a detailed form with personal information. In some cases, the audacious attackers even ask for payment of a token amount, for ‘delivery’.

Kaspersky researchers have also come across spam letters pretending to offer services on behalf of Chinese manufacturers. The emails offer products to diagnose and treat the virus, but the emphasis is on the sale of vaccination syringes.

According to Tatyana Shcherbakova, a security expert at the firm: “It is important to remember that although such offers may look very favorable, the likelihood of a successful deal is zero. The user can avoid losing data or, in some cases money, if they remain vigilant to the supposed lucrative offers distributed online.”