Cyber Corner: Disaster Relief Scams

When a natural disaster strikes, many people rely on insurance providers for disaster relief to help them pay for damages to property. Unfortunately, cybercriminals can take advantage of this vulnerable situation by manipulating your clients into sharing sensitive information.

In a recent scam, cybercriminals call your client and pretend to be an agent from their insurance provider. They use a spoofed phone number so the call seems legitimate. The cybercriminals claim that they need their personal information, such as their insurance account details, to reimburse them for damages. If your client shares this information with them, they won’t receive disaster relief. Instead, the cybercriminals can use their account details to impersonate them and steal their reimbursement.

Here are some tips below for your clients to keep their sensitive information safe from disaster relief scams:

• Verify that messages are legitimate before taking action. Contact the organization directly by using another line of communication.
• Never trust your caller ID. Cybercriminals can spoof phone numbers to impersonate someone else.

It is important that your clients do not share personal information, such as insurance details, in an unexpected phone call. Instead, they should log in to their insurance provider’s website or contact the provider directly to share any necessary information safely.