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Another fall-out from the pandemic is that impersonation fraud has increased dramatically. According to the Federal Trade Commission, “the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a sharp spike in impersonation fraud, as scammers capitalize on confusion and concerns around shifts in the economy stemming from the pandemic.” Impersonation fraud costs “have increased an alarming 85 percent…

It was a crazy weekend for cyber-attacks. People seem surprised, but those of us in the industry aren’t surprised one bit. It is very logical and foreseeable that hackers are leveraging attacks that have maximum disruption on multiple victims, including third-party vendors and their customers. It is a “one-stop shop” strategy that is used every…

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee recently announced that they are considering implementing vaccine passport programs in their respective states. Baker stated that he is working with other states to use a QR code system that allows users to scan to verify vaccination status. In Rhode Island, the Department of Health…

An apparent email snafu has led to the filing of a putative class action against the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The allegations stem from an email that was allegedly sent out to 368 people that outlined the protocols for employees with approved COVID-19 vaccine exemptions. The email set forth the protocols related to accommodations for such…

Maximus, a contractor of the State of Ohio’s Medicaid program reported this week that it experienced a data breach that exposed Medicaid health providers’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, and other information when it experienced a cybersecurity incident on May 15, 2021.

The incident involved unauthorized access to Maximus’s application that housed…

Criminals use current events to launch new schemes designed to prey on victims’ vulnerabilities or fears. Throughout the pandemic, criminals have used fear of COVID-19, or the anticipation of a cure or a vaccine, to lure victims and persuade them to provide information they can use for fraudulent purposes.

The most recent scam being reported…

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently issued an advisory to banks that outlined fourteen red flag indicators to be on the lookout for (and report) related to pandemic related economic relief payments. Entitled “Advisory on Financial Crimes Targeting COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments,” FinCEN issued the advisory based on its “analysis of COVID-19-related information obtained…

The news is full of stories about crashing vaccination scheduling websites, seniors who are unable to get their vaccine appointment, and how different states are rolling out their limited supplies of COVID vaccines.

People are becoming desperate in the scramble to get vaccinated during or even before their allotted time, and scammers know that and…