Cybersecurity Expert Monica Eaton Offers Advice to Defend Against COVID-19 Scams
Chargebacsk911 COO Monica Eaton is a widely-respected expert in the areas of payments, fraud, and online security. As such, she was asked to offer some tips for consumers in the Tampa Bay area to defend themselves against scammers preying on unsuspecting individuals during the current COVID crisis.
10 Tampa Bay is a broadcast channel that has served the Tampa Bay area since 1965. They’re known for the award-winning investigative reporting of the 10 Investigates team, while also presenting important news and weather updates to keep Bay Area viewers informed on a daily basis.
It’s important to remember that fraudsters are opportunistic. Anytime they identify a vulnerability in the market, they will look for a chance to exploit that weakness, and the COVID-19 crisis is no exception. “There are people out there who are that heartless,” as host Kendall Kirkham put it, referring to scammers who are willing to leverage the pandemic for personal gain.
Many consumers and businesses are in uncharted territory. And as Monica explains, this fact presents new opportunities for fraudsters who are willing to take advantage of the situation.
“[Criminals] have so many new victims available because so many consumers are now using the internet for the first time [to make purchases], or are ordering things on apps. And you don’t just have consumers; you have many business owners that have transitioned to a virtual payment method.”
