Feds Zap Hundreds Of Scam COVID Cure Websites

The New York Daily News reports:

The feds have disrupted hundreds of internet domains that cybercriminals have used to commit fraud and other crimes by taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The FBI as of Tuesday received more than 3,600 complaints related to COVID-19 scams, “many of which operated from websites that advertised fake vaccines and cures, operated fraudulent charity drives, delivered malware, or hosted various other types of scams,” according to a statement.

“To attract traffic, these websites often utilized domain names that contained words such as ‘covid19,’ or ‘coronavirus.’ In some cases, the fraudulent sites purported to be run by, or affiliated with, public health organizations or agencies,” it added.

The actions were announced by Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, who is pictured above. The sites that hosted malware primarily targeted Windows and Android users.