As the world economy is devastated by the ongoing health crisis, leaders struggle to find the safest route to bring businesses back into action. Workers who have lost their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are also affected by the economic uncertainty brought about by the circumstances. Nevertheless, as authorities have put it, crime does not sleep and many have taken advantage of the turmoil to enact their deeds. Google recently confirmed that it has partnered with a nonprofit group to crack down on coronavirus scams online.

The first step hopes to spread awareness about what is conventionally used by cybercriminals to lure their victims. The internet search group encourages users to visit their new website which features a wealth of information on the most common online hoaxes, scams, and phishing practices among others. Experts have noted an upsurge of these ever since healthcare officials alongside the government imposed certain restrictions.

With a lot of people staying indoors, internet usage is at an all-time high since the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. Fox News confirms that the resource website is listed as Scamspotter.org and is packed with all the necessary details to help identify potential cybercrime endeavours.

These include a breakdown of hoaxes and its patterns, fake vaccine offers, fake stimulus checks, and more. Google is apparently working with Cybercrime Support Network in hopes of preventing individuals from becoming victims of online fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission reveals that over $40 million has been lost due to scams related to COVID-19. "It will take a cross-generational effort," said Google executive Vincent Cerf in a blog post. "If we learn how to spot the bad actors, we can spend our time focusing on those moments that matter," he added. Those who are behind these practices are evidently after private information related to banking and medical.

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Data supplied by cybersecurity researchers point out that majority of the victims of online scams are seniors. As such, Google hopes the younger generation will share the information with older relatives who stand to benefit from the guidelines. In a related report, COVID-19 cases are expected to rise soon after the protests across the United States related to the George Floyd's death.

COVID-19 Cybercrime Google