Filtered By: Scitech
SciTech

'Think before you click:' NBI warns public vs. scams amid pandemic


The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday told the public to exercise caution in opening links and emails, warning that scammers may take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to steal money or personal information.

NBI Director Eric Distor said the public should watch out for fake emails purportedly coming from the Department of Health, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the inter-agency task force, and other agencies that claim to offer or require information on the infectious disease.

Advising "think before you click," he said some links "can deliver malware to your computer and steal personal information or lock your devices or cellphones and demand payment as ransom."

"Do your research first before clicking on any links purporting to provide any information and updates on the virus, donations, contributions to free food campaign, online food purchase or providing personal information to receive money or other benefits," Distor said in a public advisory.

The NBI chief also told the public not to give out their personal information, especially those relating to banking. Instead, he advised contacting one's bank so it could validate the emails or messages or file complaints on the customer's behalf.

He also said criminals may use apps that can purportedly track COVID-19 cases worldwide to lock a person's device until they pay to unlock it.

He cited the following as examples of scams: treatment scams, supply scams, provider scams, charity scams, phishing scams, apps scams, bank/financial scams, investment scams, and online selling.

The NBI said suspicious emails or messages may be reported to them by contacting the NBI operation center at 09617349450, their anti-fraud or cybercrime divisions at 85238231-38, sending a message to their website or Facebook account. --KBK, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT