Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, launching various scams related to supposed vaccines, government assistance and personal protective equipment (PPE).

As of April 27, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has logged 27,820 consumer complaints related to the outbreak, including nearly 15,000 fraud complaints, according to AARP. Victims have reported losing $20.4 million, with a median loss of $541. With this surge in nationwide scams over the past couple of months, one of the most famous con artists in American history is in high demand for data protection advice.

Frank Abagnale, subject of 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, shares advice on how to avoid coronavirus scams.

Frank Abagnale, the subject of 2002 hit film Catch Me If You Can, advised how to stop these scammers during the latest Keppler Coffee Break, a series of 30-minute virtual speaker events. Abagnale, who is currently an FBI consultant, discussed how to protect yourself from the increase of COVID-19 scams, as well as how businesses can avoid fraudulent schemes tied to the processing of government payment programs. “You can’t rely on banks, government or police,” Abagnale said. “You have to be smarter today than we were 20 years ago.”

Stimulus Payment Fraud
Abagnale warned of a widespread scam in which someone supposedly from the IRS calls to send you your stimulus check, but asks for your Social Security number and address in order to verify. The goal is either to hack your information or intercept the payment. “Caller ID is very easily manipulated,” Abagnale said. “Today, more than ever, you really need to be very careful about giving anyone information or any money unless you know who you’re talking to. If you didn’t solicit a call or email, don’t give them anything.”

Phishing Scams
“Email scams have gotten very personal,” Abagnale said. For example, you may have just gone to lunch with a friend, and a couple of hours later, you’ll get an email supposedly from your friend referencing the lunch and asking for money or personal information. “Scammers are going to your social media first, seeing what you’ve posted and the names of your family and friends,” Abagnale said. “Then they craft an email personalized to you and you don’t even question who it’s from.” Before replying to the email, Abagnale advises reaching out to the friend over the phone to confirm it’s from them.

If you click on a link in a phishing email, don’t worry. Abagnale says you haven’t given up any information yet. “Usually, the link will take you somewhere to give your information,” he said. “However, if I know your name and address, I can do a little research and find out just about anything about you.”

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Password Risks
Don’t get Abagnale started on password protection tips. “Passwords are for treehouses,” he said. “They were invented in 1964, and we’re still using them. They’ve outlasted their usefulness and we’re long overdue to eliminate them.”

Abagnale credits identity theft protection firm Trusona for developing anti-replay technology that uses unique, non-PII (personally identifiable information) values to create a cryptographic number that should never be repeated. “In the not-so-distant future, you won’t even have to touch the screen at the ATM,” Abagnale said. “You’ll access an app on your phone via your fingerpint and the app will tell the ATM to disperse the money.”

He also advises against using password managers, questioning their credibility. “Are they a billion-dollar corporation or five guys in a loft in Denver? Either one can be hacked. The quicker we move to having no passwords, the faster we avoid crimes being committed over the internet.”

Vulnerable Targets
Millennials often fall for scams more than any other demographic, Abagnale said. But seniors usually have more money to lose. “Scammers will focus on anything they can tie to the headlines,” Abagnale said. “Seniors get very scared by that.”

The government is likely to be a major victim of scamming due to how quickly the Paycheck Protection Program has come together, Abagnale added. “More than 10% of payments during Hurricane Katrina were paid on fraudulent ground,” he said. “I expect a much larger percentage during the coronavirus because of how fast the money is being sent out. There’s no guarantee that those who really need it are getting the money.”

Future Scams
With so many data breaches over the past few years, Abagnale predicts the next major scam tactic will be search engine breaches. “Ransomware is big business,” he said. “Criminals will threaten to release powerful figures’ search histories unless they pay ransom.”

Safety Tips
If you’ve never heard of a certain charity or nonprofit organization, Abagnale recommends doing your due diligence before sending money. Call the organization to see if any letters, phone messages or emails you’ve received are legitimate. Abagnale also recommends contacting the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

If you have been scammed, the worst thing you can do is stay silent. “Don’t feel foolish – tell people that you’ve been scammed so something can be done about it,” Abagnale said.