Pandemic forces virtual meetings, watch for cybersecurity risks

TEMPERATURES NEAR 70. JENNIFER: OCTOBER IS NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS MONTH. WITH SO MUCH OF OUR EVERYDAY LIFE GOING VIRTUAL, IT’S MORE IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE OF ONLINE SCAMS. JOINING US THIS MORNING WITH MORE IS SPAETH JEFF RISING FROM THE BALTIMORE DIVISION OF THE FBI. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> GOOD MORNING, JENNIFER. TALK ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS SCAMS YOU’RE SEEING. >> OH, IT’S WHERE WE’RE BEING INUNDATED BY CORONAVIRUS CARES ACT SCAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. SPECIFICALLY, IN MARYLAND AND DELAWARE WHERE I WORK SPECIFICALLY, BUT WE’RE UNDER ASSAULT WITH FRAUD SCHEMES RIGHT NOW. JENNIFER: WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR? >> SO THE BIG MECHANISM THAT THEY USE AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD WAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO TALK ABOUT WAS ROMANCE FRAUD SCHEMES. THESE ARE SOPHISTICATED CRIMINAL ENTER PRIZES THAT ARE DOING THESE SCAMS. MOST 6 THEM ARE BASED OVERSEAS, SPECIFICALLY, WEST AFRICA. BUT THEY STILL NEED TO GET THE STOLEN MONEY OUT OF THE UNITED STATES. AND THE MECHANISM THAT THEY USE TO DO THAT ARE LARGELY ROMANCE FRAUD SCHEMES. SOMEONE GOES ON, YOU KNOW — IT’S USUALLY ELDERLY FOLKS. MAYBE THEY’RE DIVORCED, MAYBE THEY’RE WIDOWED. BUT THEY GO ON THESE DATING SITES. THEY FIND THEIR NEW SOULMATE, THE LOVE OF THEIR LIFE, AND THEY THINK THEY’RE TALKING TO THEIR ONLINE ROMANTIC PARTNER. IN REALITY, SOMEONE WHO IS A MEMBER OF THIS CRIMINAL ENTER PRICE THAT IS EITHER SCAMMING THEM FOR MONEY AND ONCE ALL THEIR MONEY IS GONE THEY’LL USE THEM TO SET UP BANK ACCOUNTS TO RECEIVE STOLEN FUNDS. JENNIFER: SO WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST PEOPLE DO WHEN IT COMES TO THAT? SO MANY PEOPLE DO BELIEVE THEY’RE TALKING TO AN ACTUAL ROMANTIC PARTNER. >> AGAIN, IT’S SORT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, TURN ON THE COMMON SENSE LIGHT. IF YOU’RE IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, JUST LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS. LIKE WHY IS MY ONLINE GIRLFRIEND THAT I’VE NEVER MET WALKING AROUND WITH A BAG FULL OF GOLD THAT I HAVE TO PAY $30,000 IN INSURANCE FOR? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? NO. JENNIFER: NO. >> WHY DOES MY BOYFRIEND, WHO I CAN NEVER SEE AND TALK TO, CAN ONLY TEXT WITH HIM, WHY WHEN I CALL HIS NUMBER, WHICH IS IN MARYLAND, YOU KNOW, HE HAS A 301 NUMBER. BUT WHEN I CALL IT, IT SHOWS UP AS GOOGLE VOICE OR TEXT NOW. IT’S A VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL TELEPHONE NUMBER, NOT A HARD LINE TELEPHONE NUMBER. JENNIFER: AGENT RISING, I HATE TO INTERRUPT YOU. YOU MENTIONED A RISE IN CARES ACT SCAMS. THAT’S GOING TO HIT BUSINESS OWNERS HARD. CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF THAT AS WELL? >> AS YOU WOULD IMAGINE, WITH THE GOVERNMENT PUTTING OUT AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY HAVE WITH THE CORONAVIRUS AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGH A HOST OF AGENCIES, THE SCAMMERS, THEY’RE SHARKS IN THE WATER AT THIS POINT. THEY WANT TO GET THEIR HANDS ON AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE. BUT THE MECHANISMS THAT THEY’RE DOING FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE ALL ONLINE APPLICATIONS. BUT THEY’RE USING THESE ROMANCE FRAUD SCHEMES TO PUSH THE MONEY OUT AND GET THE MONEY BACK TO THEMSELVES. SO FOR THE BUSINESS OWNERS, IT’S BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, BEFORE MONEY GETS DUMPED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT, MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE AWARE OF THAT MONEY IS COMING FROM. JENNIFER: IF YOU SUSPECT YOU COULD BE A TARGET OF A FRAUD SCHEME, CALL THE FBI? >> CALL THE FBI. CHECK WITH YOUR BANK. IF SUDDENLY YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PUT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT AND YOU’RE NOT SURE WHAT THE ACTUAL SOURCE IS, CALL YOUR BANK. CALL THE FBI. GO ON IC-3.GOV AND MAKE A COMPLAINT. BUT TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR ONLINE RELATIONSHIP SAYS OH, YEAH, THAT $100,000 IS FINE. I NEED FIVE CASH EARS CHECKS FOR $25,000 APIECE FEDEXED TO THESE LOCATION, HUGE RED FLAG. JENNIFER: THANK YOU FOR JOINI

Pandemic forces virtual meetings, watch for cybersecurity risks

Updated: 10:59 AM EDT Oct 10, 2020

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and with so much of our everyday life now going virtual, it’s even more important to beware of online scams. Special Agent Jeff Reising with the FBI Baltimore Division, explains.

BALTIMORE —

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and with so much of our everyday life now going virtual, it’s even more important to beware of online scams. Special Agent Jeff Reising with the FBI Baltimore Division, explains.