The Omicron variant has helped contribute to a 521 per cent rise in Covid-test related scam emails, according to figures from Barracuda Networks.

Incidents recorded took place between October 2021 and January 2022.

Researchers said that the recent surge in phishing is just the “latest edition” of coronavirus related attack campaigns that criminals have exploited throughout the pandemic.

In March 2020, they found that Covid-related phishing jumped by 667 per cent. Similarly,
as vaccination programmes began to roll out at the start of 2021, so too did a new wave of vaccine-related email threats.

But the security and networking company says that this time round, scammers are using different tactics to get the attention of victims. It suggests that one of the most common scams include offers to sell counterfeit or unauthorised Covid tests, and other medical supplies such as masks or gloves.

Other scams involve the use of fake notifications of unpaid orders for Covid tests, where scammers provide a PayPal account to receive payments to complete the purchase of rapid Covid tests. Also, some scammers have been impersonating labs, testing providers or individual employees sharing fake Covid test results.

“Capitalising on the chaos of the pandemic is not a new trend in the world of cyber crime,” said Fleming Shi, chief technology officer, Barracuda Networks. “But, with constantly evolving tactics, and new trends to latch on to, it’s easy to see why scammers are not giving up on this trick”

Shi added: “Just like the threat of Covid-19, pandemic-themed scams are not going to disappear overnight, but fortunately there are a number of tactics that businesses and consumers can employ to ensure they remain protected.”

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