‘Beware coronavirus tech scams’, says ACCC

Fake Facebook petitions and bogus health emails about coronavirus are on the rise, says the Australian consumer watchdog.

Numerous scams have been reported to Scamwatch, including a Facebook petition to stop children going back to school due to the coronavirus. Picture: AFP

Australians are being warned to be on the lookout for coronavirus scams, with fake Facebook petitions and bogus health emails on the rise, according to the Australian consumer watchdog.

An ACCC spokeswoman told The Australian that numerous scams have been reported to Scamwatch, including a Facebook petition to stop children going back to school due to the coronavirus.

The petition encouraged people to pay between $5 and $100 to “put the petition on the agenda”.

There were also reports of a website that purported to sell a coronavirus vaccine claiming to be from an Australian medical university. The site only accepted payment in bitcoin.

Another scam involved an alleged online shopping scam website purporting to sell expensive medical face masks but not providing the goods.

The spokeswoman said consumers can report scams to the ACCC.

"Be careful of online shopping sites requesting unusual payment methods such as upfront payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin," she said.

"It’s also a good idea to do an online search or read reviews to identify a fake trader or online shopping scam, as many people report scams this way."

Meanwhile, researchers from global security outfit Proofpoint have uncovered new coronavirus themed email attacks that focus on concerns around disruptions to global shipping.

The e-mail campaign exploits a two and a half year Microsoft Office vulnerability, features malicious Microsoft word documents and installs an information stealing malware.

Crispin Kerr, ANZ Country Manager for Proofpoint. said businesses in the manufacturing, industrial, finance, transportation, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries were being targeted, in that order.

“Australian businesses within the targeted sectors should be very wary of these types of e-mails, especially as the focus around coronavirus has centred on health related concerns and not the potential economic impacts, which could make people more susceptible to overlooking these attacks," Mr Kerr said.

"The economy in Australia is already facing a huge battle to overcome the impact of this summer’s brush fires with many industries such as tourism and farming suffering losses. Off the back of this, it’s important that organisations limit the potential impact of cybercriminal activity and use extra caution when dealing with coronavirus-themed emails, links, and attachments.”

As The Australian reported another 39 people – including a further four Australians – and a quarantine officer, have tested positive to the potentially fatal coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is in the Japanese port of Yokohama.