Links telling you to check if you’re COVID infected could be an online scam, don’t click on them

New Delhi: Phishing attacks in the name of Aarogya Setu mobile application are witnessing a “high rise” as online scamsters are taking advantage of the increased inquisitiveness of internet users during the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s cyber security agency said on Saturday. It said attackers are also impersonating tools linked to the World Health Organisation and popular video-conferencing platforms like Zoom to steal sensitive data.

“Aarogya Setu app-focused phishing have seen high rise. Scammers impersonate as HR department, CEO, or any other known person and target users by spreading messages like ‘your neighbour is affected’, ‘see who all are affected’, ‘someone who came in contact with you tested positive’, ‘recommendations to self-isolate’, ‘guidelines to use Aarogya Setu’ among others,” the CERT-In said in a latest advisory accessed by PTI.

The Aarogya Setu application uses bluetooth and GPS to alert users who may have encountered people who later tested positive for the coronavirus.