The pandemic had a devastating effect on everyone’s personal and financial well-being during the preceding several years. In addition to the virus, the sickness, and the restrictions, people also suffered from scammers.
Victims were targeted by scammers who saw COVID-19 as a tool to steal money. The first five months of 2020 saw a total of $1.36 billion in thefts, hacks, and scams.
The US FTC has received 732,000 reports of COVID-19 fraud since the outbreak began. Out of these cases, 72.5% involved fraud or ID theft. Fraudsters defrauded consumers to the tune of $778 million.
COVID-19 aid programs were the target of approximately $1 trillion in fraud.
Bulgaria was not exempt from this wave of fraud. During the restrictions, associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet made it easy to survive and carry on with daily business. This was great, but it also gave the “bad guys” a platform to steal money, giving them an opportunity to exploit people’s vulnerabilities.
A popular scam was, claiming payment for non-existent goods or services. The scammer conned the victim into paying for a product that was never delivered. Scammers create fictitious online stores where they sell fictitious goods. They provide vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases. No one ever hears back from the fraudster after making a purchase, and they also never receive anything in return. One site from Bulgaria was actually selling a “COVID Cure” (just to note: to date such a cure…
