Since people started working from home due to the COVID-19 crisis, the risk of financial and non-financial identity theft, fraud, and scams has significantly increased.
Keyword phrases such as cybercrime, cyber thieves, data breach, digital spying, identity theft, personal privacy, phishing, and reputational risk have been reported and written about, relating to individuals and businesses more than ever.
As if it was not enough to constantly fight hackers and scammers at the office, most American workers are now fighting the same hackers, scammers, and ID theft criminals remotely, from our “private” homes.
Understanding that many people live their lives online through social media, dating websites, reading the news, and the use of smartphones – the COVID-19 crisis has increased access points to American consumers and workers more than ever.
One example of a new access point for many consumers is Telehealth.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) June 10, 2020 update titled Using Telehealth to Expand Access to Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic (please see here), “Telehealth services help provide necessary care to patients while minimizing the transmission risk of the COVID-19 virus to healthcare personnel (HCP) and patients” and “while telehealth technology and its use are not new, widespread adoption among Healthcare Providers and patients beyond simple telephone calls has been relatively slow.”
