Coronavirus is NOT at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. Here’s how the rumor spread
Columbia Basin College was one of the targets of a new round of scammers taking advantage of people’s fear of the Chinese norvel coronavirus.
A Tri-Cities pharmacist received a text message Thursday claiming that the respiratory illness cropped up in the college’s “dormitories,” said Anna Tensmeyer, the marketing and communications director for the Pasco-based community college. The school has just one student living center but it’s not considered a dorm.
The person who sent out the message made it look like it came from CNN TV news channel.
The Costco pharmacist didn’t take a closer look at the text and began sharing the information. If he had looked, he would have noticed the link led to a pornography site.
People began sharing the post on Facebook, which alerted college officials to the fraud. They contacted the pharmacist who clicked on the link and discovered the mistake, Tensmeyer said.
Washington state only had one confirmed case and three cases under investigation since the coronavirus outbreak began. The one confirmed illness was a Snohomish County man who was released from the hospital earlier this week and is continuing to improve.
Nationwide there have been 11 confirmed cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The scam has been cropping up in recent days using different organizations to lend credence to the fraud.
Malware protection company Sophos Security Labs said one scam claimed to be from the “World Health Organization.”
Others have come through e-mail saying they’re from the Centers for Disease Control or Wuhan Medical Authorities.
In each case, they have a link which leads to a site that then may gain access to your computer in order to steal your personal information.
Cybersecurity company Heimdal Security shared tips people can use to stay safe.
- Always check the link by hovering over it with your mouse before clicking on it.
- Don’t enter account credentials when you’re sent to a page after clicking on the link.
- Be cautious of e-mails, texts or any message that tries to make you act on impulse by making you afraid or panicked.