Scammers are currently taking advantage of the raging coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria to swindled unsuspecting citizens.
The Federal Government has gotten the tip of the activities of the con artists and has accordingly put Nigerians on notice even as the anti-graft agencies are hunting for the scammers.
The government says an Android-based malicious and fraudulent Coronavirus Ransomware Application, which claims to provide updates on the virus and infections near the user exists.
In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, says the Ransomware blocks access to users’ data and accounts and threatens deletion, unless users pay $100 in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
The Ransomware App, according to the minister, detected on the website www.coronavirusapp.site, prompts users to download an Android App purportedly for coronavirus map tracking and heat map visuals.
Mohammed points out that the development confirms warnings against cybercriminals seeking to exploit the growing spread of the virus for nefarious gains.
He is, therefore, calling on the general public not to download the Ransomware App and to seek updates on the pandemic only from the appropriate authorities.
