April 11, 2020 / COVID-19 / Personal Data Protection
Communication INAI/116/2020 issued on April 11, 2020, by the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Protection of Personal Data (INAI).
In Mexico, malicious campaigns have been discovered that impersonate government authorities to disseminate false information and take advantage of the uncertainty generated by COVID-19 to scam people.
The techniques used to deceive people include:
- Mass emailing of malicious files labeled as “IMPORTANT COVID-19 INFORMATION” (“INFORMACIÓN IMPORTANTE DE COVID-19″).
- It requests the payment of weekly vouchers for food purchases in the health emergency, redirecting the user to websites that bill with advertisements.
- It requests bitcoin transfers for virtual currency users.
The INAI recommends extreme caution and issues the following recommendations to avoid becoming a victim of cybercriminals:
- Remain alert to identify and ignore attempts by cybercriminals trying to carry out fraud or spread fake news.
- Avoid clicking on any links attached or downloading files attached to unsolicited e-mails or texts from unrecognized sources —or even from trusted sources— unless you are certain that the message is authentic.
- Ignore communications requesting personal information.
- Remain alert to e-mails that add a sense of warning and demand immediate action or offer vaccines or cures for COVID-19.
- Be alert to fraudulent donations or crowdfunding campaigns.
- Use multi-layered security software that includes anti phishing protection.
- Enter the user name and password only when the connection is secure.
Consult the microsite “Secured Personal Data COVID-19,” which provides clear and precise personal data protection rights.