Security News > 2020 > July > Phishing is the leading type of COVID-19 fraud

TransUnion surveyed consumers in six countries and found that phishing was the preferred method of attack 27% of the time.

Credit agency TransUnion has found that COVID-19 related scams have targeted 32% of people around the world, and phishing is the method of choice, accounting for 27% of those attacks.

The survey was performed in six countries: Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and while TransUnion found that the top COVID-19 fraud methods were consistent in four of the six countries, where phishing accounted for over 30% of fraud attempts.

Phishing leads as the most common type of fraud largely because it's simple compared to other methods.

"Identity fraud is a primary way fraudsters leverage stolen consumer data from phishing and other social engineering schemes. It can have long-term impacts for consumers such as the compromise of multiple online accounts and bringing down credit scores, which we anticipate will increase during pandemic reconstruction," said TransUnion's SVP of global fraud and identity solutions, Shai Cohen.

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/phishing-is-the-leading-type-of-covid-19-fraud/#ftag=RSS56d97e7