Fraud,Cybercrime and Intimidation – The Coronavirus ‘criminal’ side-effect

The COVID-19 pandemic has “sparked new crime trends”, the head of Interpol told Euronews on Monday, warning that organised crime groups have adapted their activities to benefit from the global health crisis.

Jurgen Stock revealed to Euronews that police forces around the world have already seized counterfeited medical items, including “thousands of counterfeited substandard protective masks, so-called corona spray, corona medicine and substandard hand sanitiser”.

Cybercriminals also use the pandemic to spread malware by also claiming to be health officials and encouraging people to open attachments.

Last week, Interpol announced that 121 arrests had been made worldwide in a vast operation against the illicit online sales of medicines and medical products.

Euronews