UAE public beware: WHO issues coronavirus scam alert
Find out how the scandal works as criminals try to steal money, sensitive data
Dubai: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a “coronavirus scam alert”, warning the public against falling prey to criminals who may be using the organisation’s name to steal money or information.
The WHO in its latest alert has said, “Criminals are disguising themselves as WHO to steal money or sensitive information. If you are contacted by a person or organisation that appears to be from WHO, verify their authenticity before responding.”
WHO has categorically stated that it will:
• Never ask you to login to view safety information
• Never email attachments you didn’t ask for
• Never ask you to visit a link outside of www.who.int
• Never charge money to apply for a job, register for a conference, or reserve a hotel
• Never conduct lotteries or offer prizes, grants, certificates or funding through email
• Never ask you to donate directly to emergency response plans or funding appeals
It said the public should be guarded against criminals who use email, websites, phone calls, text messages and even fax messages for their scams.
How the coronavirus scam works:
WHO said it is aware of suspicious email messages attempting to take advantage of the 2019 novel coronavirus emergency. The “phishing” emails, which appear to be from WHO, ask the public to:
• Give sensitive information, such as usernames or passwords
• Click a malicious link
• Open a malicious attachment.
Using this method, criminals can install malware or steal sensitive information.
