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Threat actors and scammers are expected to take advantage of those affected by the massive destruction brought by Hurricane Helene earlier this month.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned that threat actors will be out to fool both victims of Helene and those looking to donate towards the recovery through social engineering scams.
“As hurricanes and other natural disasters occur, CISA urges individuals to remain on alert for potential malicious cyber activity. Fraudulent emails and social media messages – often containing malicious links or attachments – are common after major natural disasters,” said CISA.
“Exercise caution in handling emails with hurricane-related subject lines, attachments, or hyperlinks. In addition, be wary of social media pleas, texts, or door-to-door solicitations relating to severe weather events.”
Social engineering attacks are likely to come in quickly and in massive numbers, as scammers look to take advantage of the generosity of those looking to help, as well as victims seeking assistance.
These scams are likely to pose as real organisations, such as charities, and will target individuals through fake websites and emails emulating real communications.
Those who click on links in these emails will likely find themselves on legitimate-looking websites, which, upon input of financial information to donate, will instead steal that data and use it maliciously.
The threat actors behind these phishing attacks often push an emotional narrative, emphasising urgency and the critical nature of the disaster, guilting people into handing over their financial data.
CISA says that those looking to donate should type in charity URLs rather than searching for these sites or clicking links. Additionally, individuals should avoid emails that include disaster-related subject lines or ones that encourage links to be clicked, text messages regarding the hurricane, robocalls or prerecorded scam calls, caller ID spoofing, door-to-door solicitation, and requests for donations on social media, even when they are posted by people you know.
The CISA warning follows statements from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which have also warned against companies price gouging as demand soars as a result of the hurricanes.
“As Americans seek safety from natural disasters, we’re hearing troubling reports of price gouging for essentials that are necessary for people to get out of harm’s way – from hotels to groceries to gas,” said FTC chair Lina M. Khan.
“No American should have to worry about being ripped off when fleeing a hurricane. In partnership with state enforcers, the FTC will keep fighting to ensure that Americans can get the relief they need without being preyed on by bad actors exploiting a crisis.”
According to media reports, airlines have been accused of gouging prices following Hurricane Helene and as Hurricane Milton approaches.
One X user pointed out that United Airlines was charging up to $2,351 for an economy flight from Tampa to St. Louis, effectively putting a price tag on survival.
Hey @united, what’s up with the price gouging in Tampa for people trying to evacuate? Your prices aren’t nearly as comparable to American or Southwest… shady. pic.twitter.com/DWBT05QQL5
– Jeremy (@iowaradioguy) October 7, 2024
However, airlines denied price gouging and said it capped fares so that economy tickets were below $500.
“United capped Florida fares on Sunday,” the carrier told Forbes. “Since then, the average price for a one-way, economy class ticket to our hubs from affected Florida markets was below $500.”
Deputy Assistant Attorney-General Manish Kumar of the Justice Department’s antitrust division put out a strict warning against price gouging.
“Companies are on notice: do not use the hurricane as an excuse to exploit people through illegal behaviour,” he said.
“The antitrust division and its law enforcement partners will act quickly to root out anticompetitive behaviour and use every tool available to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
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