IA warns of 'heightened criminal activity' from coronavirus scammers

Jump in phishing and 'smishing' tactics reported

Scammers are increasingly leveraging the coronavirus pandemic as a means of targeting savers and investors, with vulnerable consumers at the most risk, the Investment Association has warned.

The IA said this morning (29 April) it has seen growing examples of scammers using techniques such as phishing and "smishing", in addition to more extreme and "aggressive" tactics such as posing as a police officer, in efforts to defraud savers. IA launches platform to enhance cyber security Coronavirus-related attacks come at a time of increasing cyber crime, with the number of such offences reported to the National Fraud Office jumping from 273,598 to 306,126 between 2017 and 2018. Similarly, there is a growing trend of cyber attacks on UK financial services firms, with the Finan...