New research from TransUnion’s  Consumer Financial Hardship studies found that phishing is the top digital fraud scheme worldwide related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among consumers reporting being targeted with digital COVID-19 schemes globally, 27% said they were hit with pandemic-themed phishing scams.

The study asked consumers if they had been targeted by digital COVID-19 fraud and if so, which digital fraud scheme(s) related to COVID-19 were they targeted with. Globally, 32% said they had been targeted by digital fraud related to COVID-19 with the below being the top types of COVID-19 fraud they faced:

Top Global Online COVID-19 Scams Targeting Consumers

Rankings

Percentage Hit by Scheme

Among Those Targeted by Digital COVID-19 Fraud
  1. Phishing

27%
  1. Third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites

21%
  1. Charity and fundraising scam

19%
  1. Unemployment scam

18%
  1. Fraudulent COVID-19 vaccines, cures, tests, and PPE

15%
  1. Fake insurance

15%
  1. Shipping fraud

14%
  1. Identity theft

14%
  1. Stolen credit card or fraudulent charges

13%
  1. Stimulus check scam

12%
  1. Someone changing your personal or account information via a call center

12%
  1. Account taken over

11%

 

Online COVID-19 Scams Targeting Consumers by Country

 

Country

Top Fraud Type

Percent Targeted by All Digital COVID-19 Fraud

Canada

Phishing

30%

Colombia

Third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites

25%

Hong Kong

Phishing

37%

South Africa

Unemployment scam

38%

U.K.

Phishing

30%

U.S.

Phishing

31%

 

Shai Cohen, senior vice president of Global Fraud & Identity Solutions at TransUnion, said “Although the schemes may vary by country, a new approach to identity verification that supplements traditional authentication methods is needed to defend against their impact,” said Cohen. “The key is creating a friction-right experience where consumers are confident they are dealing with a legitimate organization or business.”