Despite the world being in the middle of a pandemic, you might be shocked by the scams fraudsters are still using to trick people out of their personal data and money in these tough times. Click or scroll through the COVID-related cons to watch out for.

As we are all reliant on government information during the coronavirus pandemic, unsurprisingly scammers have also pretended to be from the authorities to try to catch people out, and take their money. One email scam, pictured, claims to be from the UK government and tells people they can claim a tax refund to protect themselves during the pandemic. This scam is hard to spot as the email uses formatting that resembles UK government communications. However, a big warning sign here is the sender's email address, which clearly isn't from a government address. If you aren't sure about an email, don't click on any links, and instead contact the organisation independently to check whether it's genuine. 

Scammers have also been using text messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. This one is asking targeted people in the UK to sign up for a COVID-19 support grant. However, there are several big clues this is a fake. Firstly, there is no "stage four" in the UK. Secondly, no such grants have been announced. Thirdly, it's written in very poor English. Another known text scam tricks people into thinking they have broken lockdown rules and asks for a "goodwill payment".

With vaccines starting to be rolled out, some scammers are now trying to dupe people into filling out forms on websites in order to obtain their financial details, as shown in this text message. Or they're offering to sell the vaccine or get you priority access to receive the vaccine. Remember that this is being administered by the health authorities and you will be told by them when it's your turn. And you won't have to pay for it.

Coronavirus has been devastating for many across the world, but for scammers it has offered an opportunity to dupe people out of their cash. One way scammers have been targeting individuals is through charity scams. Posing as fake charities or even pretending to be a legitimate charity, scammers have been trying to get people to make donations, for example towards the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. While the warning signs can be hard to spot, don't click on any links in the email or text message as they may direct you to a fake website that looks real. Instead search for the name of the charity and its website independently. The fake charity email pictured asks for donations in Bitcoin, which no genuine charity is going to do.

Charities, non-profit organisations and even governments supporting and running coronavirus relief efforts have to be aware of scammers too. In a high-profile example, a company called IMPACT Medical & Surgical Solutions scammed the State of New York, taking advantage of the desperate need for PPE by charging inflated prices for fake items it didn't actually own. It's important to be wary of offers that seem too good to be true, and even if someone claims to be from a legitimate organisation it's important to still carry out due diligence. It's often worth contacting an organisation independently to check the information you have received is accurate.

America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about some companies attempting to make money from fraudulent COVID-19 test kits being sold online. The FDA warns that people should avoid these scams at all costs, as the only way to get tested for COVID-19 is through your healthcare provider.

As the coronavirus pandemic has boosted sales of cleaning products, and led to low supplies, scammers have seen an opportunity to make some money. In the US scammers have created fake websites, posing as well-known cleaning companies such as Clorox and Lysol, to get people to buy products that they will never receive. Be careful when buying products that are in short supply elsewhere, such as cleaning materials or PPE, and always use a credit card to make a purchase from a website to give yourself protection if it turns out to be fake.

Grandparent scams have existed for years and involve fraudsters posing as grandchildren who call or text message claiming to be unwell or in trouble, asking the grandparent to wire money to help them out. In the time of coronavirus and enforced social distancing, these scams have taken on a new sense of urgency and believability. The advice is to not act immediately and verify a person's identity by asking questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly know the answer to. Above all, don’t send any cash. 

Fraudsters have also capitalised on demand for other things during the pandemic and set up fake sites to dupe people out of their money. According to UK organisation Action Fraud, £200,000 ($265k) was lost in fake pet-buying scams in March and April 2020 alone. The scams work by fraudsters advertising puppies or kittens for sale which don’t really exist, and then demanding an upfront payment. The sneaky scammers have also used lockdown restrictions as an excuse for not allowing buyers to see the pets before they part with their money.

Nintendo Switch sales have boomed as people have turned to game for entertainment. Yet, as ever, a product that's in high demand will always appeal to scammers. After the devices sold out globally during the lockdown, some people turned to obscure websites to try to buy them, only to be duped by scammers. The UK bank NatWest has said its customers reported more Nintendo Switch-related scams in May than any other type of scam. It's not the first time the device has been targeted as a means to scam people, with Nintendo Switch scams being reported via Amazon's third-party listings in 2017, and eBay in 2019. 

As various lockdowns thave caused people to shop online, the likes of eBay, Depop and Facebook Marketplace have been inundated with scammers during the pandemic, selling items including mobile phones, laptops and MacBooks, vehicles and footwear, at what seem like great prices. Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud UK, advises: “Always be wary of emails, texts and social media posts that offer products for considerably less than their normal price – this is a common tactic used by criminals.”

As many countries came out of lockdown in the summer, scammers set up fraudulent websites to offer people fake travel deals, often requiring people to pay a deposit which would not be returned. Be careful when using websites you haven't heard of or used before, and if possible use a credit card as that will help to protect your purchases.

On the flipside, after many people had holidays cancelled during 2020, scammers jumped on the opportunity to send fake emails from “refund claim companies”, to call and pose as the holiday company or even to use fake social media accounts in order to defraud people. 

Criminals have also been using the names of Amazon and Apple to scam people over the phone. The Amazon scam uses a pre-recorded message that says there’s something wrong with your account, either a suspicious purchase, lost package, or an order it can’t fulfill. The Apple scam says that your Apple iCloud account has been breached. In both scams they ask you to press 1 to speak to someone, or give you a number to call, as the scammers try to take your personal information, account password or credit card details. If you think there is genuinely an issue with your account contact Amazon or Apple independently through channels you know to be legitimate.

In a variation on the Amazon support scam, people receive a recorded telephone message claiming to be from Amazon Prime, telling customers that their Prime subscription is due to auto-renew and inviting them to press 1 to cancel it. Then, a fraudster posing as an Amazon call centre rep tells them that the subscription has been set up fraudulently and requests that the caller downloads software in order to secure their account, allowing them to access the victim’s bank account. If you receive such a call, don't press 1 but contact Amazon directly to check the status of your account.

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