Technology has come a long way since the human race started using it. Even in the healthcare sector, technology has improved the level of healthcare we now have. However, because we are so reliant on technology, it is easier for scammers to target this industry due to insufficient protection. Let’s take a look at the current scams which are circulating in this industry.
Recruitment Scam
Recruitment scams are very common because they are so easy to trick victims. These scams either involve a fake job post or a cold call. When the victim falls into this type of scam, they are forced to give personal details to the scammer. It could be anything such as date of birth, email address, social security number or full name. The more details the victim gives to the scammer, the easier it is for them.
Due to further advances in AI technology, these scams are more common. Scammers will use AI to generate convincing email addresses or use it to copy another official website. When the victim sees the email address or website, they will fall for the scam.
Whaling
Whaling is a new type of phishing scam. The scammer will target people who are high-ranking in the healthcare industry. It would usually be an executive director or even a chief financial officer.
This technique is much smarter. Scammers will target a small number of people meaning they personalise these emails so they look more believable. This email promises to maximise their payout.
The reason why so many high-ranking professionals fall for this type of scam is they don’t often receive scam emails because scammers target people lower down.
Phishing Scams
There are many different types of scams but phishing is likely the one that you have heard the most. These scams usually involve a scammer sending a text message, phone call, or email. It will impersonate a business, health provider or individual, copying their email address or other details that could make it believable.
In this scam, the scammer will gain private details such as login information. To gain this data, they will say that the victim needs to change their password or send over malicious links. All this needs is for one person in the organisation to click the link and then the scammer has access to the whole database. It is a common scam and due to this, it costs an average of 10 million dollars.
Scammers are getting smarter with this type of scammer so traditional methods of protecting workers against this scam no longer work.
Impersonation Scam
Another common scam in the health sector is the impersonation scam. It is when a scammer will impersonate someone in the company. As long as the scammer has enough information about the company, it can be successful.
This type of scam usually involves the scammer trying to get money from the victim. They will say they are in financial trouble and need some money to borrow for the time being. However, this isn’t borrowed at all and the scammer will take this money from the victim.
Extortion Scam
Extortion scams are another common type of scam in the industry. Currently, scammers are pretending to be from the DEA which stands for the Drug Enforcement Administration. In this scenario, the scammer will reach out to the victim, by saying the victim’s career is at risk.
You may have heard of this type of scam with politicians. The scammer will likely find embarrassing images of the victim or information about them. They will then threaten their position unless they give them money. Once the scammer is successful, the scammer will persist and keep making up different reasons to get more money from them.
As scammers are pretending to be from the DEA, it has forced them to make a statement. The DEA stated that they would never demand money from professionals, no matter the scenario. Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop the scammers from attempting to reach out to healthcare professionals as many health workers are unaware of this.
Deep Fake Scams
Deep fake scams are common in the healthcare industry. These scammers will impersonate a patient or someone above them. Again, the scammer will likely use AI to generate a message to the victim. Furthermore, they can use AI to generate video and voice recordings.
If the scammer has enough information about the company or individual, they can be highly successful. Although medical professionals are trained for these types of scams. It still can be very difficult to spot the scam.
Since the launch of Chat GPT, deep fake scams have become increasingly popular. These are now a massive issue in the healthcare industry.
To defend against a scam of this level, you must be vigilant. Medical professionals must look for minor details such as a drop in video quality, or audio which doesn’t align with their lips moving. In some cases, the video will lag as well.
To Conclude
As you can see, there are many different types of scams, especially in the health industry. Forex scams, dating scams and email scams are all common.
AI has increased the number of scams and more people are falling for them by the day. It is no surprise that people are falling for these scams because they are so believable.
