Last month on March 25th, the U.S. Senate passed a giant stimulus bill that includes $349 billion dollars in loans for small businesses. With non-essential small businesses all across the country shutting down due to coronavirus pandemic, it's easy to see how many are desperate for a government loan to stay afloat during this economic downturn.
There's a lot of confusion about how a business can obtain their stimulus loan and hackers know businesses are desperate right now. They're taking advantage of this situation by contacting small businesses claiming to be from that government and claiming to have their stimulus check.
Of course, in order to receive your stimulus check, they claim you need to hand over personal info and a payment of $1k or more.
Don't fall for it! Never pay somebody money in order to receive money. That's the first sign that you're probably being scammed. Also, don't give personal information over the phone. The government won't call you to ask for personal information. They also won't ask you to make a financial deposit of any kind.
One last bit of advice, be careful with any website links shared by friends on social media. It's easier for them to impersonate a friend than a government agency and they're taking advantage of this. They know that people typically trust their friends with no questions asked.
Continū helps asset owners act on the knowledge that their data is at risk right now and is only as secure as their ability to detect and respond to all threats.
